HEART  TALKS 


REV.  B.  CARRADINE,  D.  D. 


•/. 


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REV.  B.  CARRADINE,  D.  D. 


HEART  TALKS 


BY 

REV.  B.  CARRADINE,  D.  D. 

M 

AUTHOR   OF 

Sanctification — A  Journey  to  Palestine — The  Second  Blessing  in  Symbol— The 

Lottery  Exposed — The  Bottle — Church  Entertainments — The  Better 

Way— The  Old  Man— Pastoral  Sketches— The  Sanctified 

Life— And  Revival  Sermons. 


M.  W.  KNAPP, 

PUBLISHER  OF  GOSPEL  LITERATURE. 

REVIVALIST  OFFICE,  CINCINNATI,  OHIO. 

Copyrighted  1899  by  M.  W.  KNAPP. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

L  MY  CONVERSION, 3 

II.  CAW,  TO  THE  MINISTRY, 12 

III.  MY  SANCTIFICATION, 25 

IV.  CALL  TO  THE  EVANGELISTIC  WORK, 37 

V.  REVIVALS, 47 

VI.  ALTAR  WORK, 56 

vn.  THE  SECRET  OP  THE  LORD, 69 

VIII.  WITHOUT  REPUTATION, 77 

IX.  THE  COMFORT  IN  TEMPTATION, 88 

X.  THE  FOUR  LOOKS  TOWARD  SODOM, 98 

XI.  THE  STRENGTH  OF  SAMSON,  . 106 

XII.  THE  DEFEAT  AT  Ai, 117 

XIII.  THE  SIFTER  AND  FAN, 126 

XIV.  THE  BATTLE  is  NOT  YOURS, 134 

XV.  THE  TEST  OF  SUCCESS  AND  FAILURE, 143 

XVI.  THE  TEST  OF  WANT  AND  RELIEF, 152 

XVII.  THE  WITHERED  HAND, 163  ^ 

XVIII.  THE  SMITTEN  MOUTH, 173  / 

XIX.  THE  SILENCE  OF  CHRIST, 181 

XX.  WAITING  ON  THE  LORD, 190 

XXI.  THE  CLEANSING  BLOOD, 198 

XXII.  DWELLING  AMONG  LIONS, 207 

XXIII.  THE  BLESSINGS  OF  TIME, 215 

XXIV.  THE  FALL  OF  BALAAM, 225 

XXV.  THE  MAN  NEAREST  TO  GOD, 235 

XXVI.  WHY  WEEPEST  THOU  ? 243 

XXVII.  HOLY  JOY, 252 

XXVHI.  LOOKING  UNTO  JESUS, 263 


Heart  Talks. 


MY  CONVERSION. 

THE  first  deep  religious  impression  I  can  recall 
occurred  in  my  boyhood.  A  protracted-meeting 
was  being  conducted  in  the  town  where  I  was  raised. 
Several  preachers  were  in  attendance,  and  I,  a  lad  of 
eight  or  ten  years,  was  present  a  few  times.  At  the 
close  of  the  services,  and  on  the  departure  of  the 
ministers,  I  remember  to  have  gone  into  a  room  alone, 
and,  casting  myself  oh  the  bed,  wept  a  considerable 
while.  At  that  time  I  felt  a  great  softness  of  heart, 
and  realized  a  decided  drawing  to,  and  preference  for, 
the  Christian  life;  but  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks 
it  all  passed  away. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  or  twenty,  on  returning 
from  college,  I  joined  a  fashionable  Church  of  an- 
other denomination  from  that  in  which  I  had  been 
raised.  This  step  was  brought  about  mainly  through 
certain  social  influences,  and  in  connecting  myself 

with  that  branch  of  Christ's  Church  there  was  no 

3 


4  HEART  TALKS. 

change  of  heart,  nor  indeed  any  proper  spiritual  im- 
pression. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-six,  with  a  young  wife  and 
two  children,  God  found  me.  For  years  I  had  not 
been  to  church,  avoided  preachers,  laughed  at  re- 
ligion, and  was  on  the  broad  road  to  ruin.  I  regarded 
not  the  Sabbath,  was  a  great  smoker  of  tobacco,  had 
got  to  imbibing  wine  occasionally,  and  was  very  pro- 
fane. My  temper  at  this  time  had  become  ungovern- 
able, and  the  devil  undoubtedly  had  me. 

In  the  place  where  the  Savior  found  me  there  were 
no  churches  and  no  Christians.  Instead  of  this,  there 
was  any  amount  of  card-playing,  horse-racing,  and 
whisky-drinking.  I  did  not  take  up  with  these  last 
three  things,  but,  nevertheless,  spiritually  I  was  in  a 
lost  condition. 

The  way  my  conversion  took  place  has  been  an 
unceasing  wonder  to  me,  as  well  as  source  of  endless 
gratitude. 

Let  the  reader  remember  that  there  were  no 
churches  in  miles  of  me,  and  no  preachers  or  Chris- 
tians around. 

The  business  of  the  store  in  which  I  was  employed 
as  clerk  and  bookkeeper  fell  off  greatly  during  the 
summer  of  1874.  I  used  to  walk  up  and  down  the 
lonely  building  and  meditate.  Christ  had  got  me 
at  last  to  a  place  where  I  was  quiet,  and  could  think. 


MY  CONVERSION.  5 

The  thought  which  repeatedly  arose  to  my  mind,  and 
with  ever-increasing  bitterness  and  sorrow,  was  that 
I  was  a  failure;  that  at  twenty-six  years  of  age  I  had 
done  nothing  and  was  nothing. 

I  can  see  now  that  the  Spirit  was  very  busy  with 
me;  I  could  not  recognize  his  work  so  readily  then, 
but  it  is  all  clear  now.  He  had  no  one  to  use  in  that 
part  of  the  country  to  teach  me,  and  so  worked  di- 
rectly upon  my  mind  and  heart.  Repeatedly,  when 
alone  in  the  store,  I  have  buried  my  face  in  the  piles 
of  goods  on  the  counter,  and  wept  the  saddest  of 
tears.  Then  there  would  come  longings  to  redeem 
my  life,  and  be  a  true  man.  But  I  was  profoundly 
ignorant  as  to  what  steps  to  take. 

At  this  juncture  I  wrote  two  or  three  lines  to  my 
mother,  saying,  "I  am  determined  to  be  a  better  man, 
and  when  I  am  a  better  man,  I  am  going  to  pray." 

The  reply  of  my  mother  was  all  the  help  of  a  hu- 
man character  I  obtained  in  my  conversion.  She 
wrote  a  hasty  and  brief  answer,  in  these  words : 

"Mv  DEAR  SON, — I  am  delighted  to  hear  of  your 
good  resolutions.  But  you  have  made  a  great  mis- 
take. Do  n't  wait  to  be  a  better  man  before  you  pray, 
but  pray,  and  you  will  be  a  better  man. 

"Affectionately,  YOUR  MOTHER." 

This  note  brought  a  perfect  flood  of  light  to  my 
mind.  I  saw  I  had  been  putting  the  cart  before  the 


6  HEART  TALKS. 

horse.  Like  the  lightning  illumines  the  whole  land- 
scape with  a  sudden  flash,  so  God  used  the  simple 
words  of  my  mother  to  clear  up  the  uncertainty  and 
darkness,  and  I  saw  in  an  instant,  and  that  most  viv- 
idly, what  I  had  to  do.  I  must  pray,  and  keep  at  it 
until  something  happened. 

That  Thursday  night  I  knelt  down  to  pray  at  my 
bedside  for  the  first  time  since  my  boyhood.  My 
young  wife  looked  perfectly  astounded  at  the  act.  I 
do  not  believe  that  if  a  wild  animal  had  leaped  through 
the  window  into  the  room,  she  could  have  been  more 
amazed  than  she  was  at  the  spectacle  of  her  kneeling 
husband;  but  I  always  possessed  a  goodly  amount  of 
will-power  and  what  is  commonly  called  backbone, 
and  so  prayed  on.  Still  I  did  not  believe  God  would 
have  mercy  on  such  a  sinner  as  myself;  and  so  He  did 
not,  for  without  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  Him. 

Friday  night  I  was  on  my  knees  again  before 
retiring;  but  it  seemed  to  me  that  God  was  far  away 
in  heaven,  and  I  was  down  here  on  earth,  and  I  did  not 
see  how  He  could  save  me.  And  so  He  did  not,  for 
here  was  unbelief  again. 

On  Saturday  night  I  went  again  through  the  mel- 
ancholy and  apparently  fruitless  struggle.  I  arose 
with  neither  light  nor  comfort,  but  full  of  determina- 
tion to  press  on  and  pray  on  until  something  hap- 
pened. 


MY  CONVERSION.  ^ 

On  Sunday  the  store  was  closed,  and  I  had  the 
entire  Sabbath  at  home.  After  breakfast  I  walked 
out  in  a  grove  near  the  house,  and  there,  hidden  from 
view,  knelt  down  amid  the  trees,  and  with  longing 
eyes  looked  up  through  an  open  space  into  the  blue 
heaven.  I  told  God  that  I  gave  Him  myself  and  all 
I  had,  that  I  wanted  salvation  and  rest,  and  please  to 
take  me.  I  pleaded  with  Him  in  this  way  for  quite  a 
while,  and  discontinued  I  know  not  why.  I  walked 
thoughtfully  back  to  the  house,  and  took  my  seat  by 
tr^e  side  of  a  center-table  in  the  room.  I  picked  up 
the  Bible  to  read,  and  had  scarcely  read  a  line  when 
suddenly  I  was  converted.  Such  a  peace  and  rest 
flooded  my  soul  as  I  had  never  felt  before  in  my 
life,  and  it  was  so  new,  so  sweet,  so  strangely  blissful, 
so  melting,  that  I  burst  into  tears,  and  cried  out  to 
my  wife  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  table,  "O  Laura, 
I  am  not  going  to  hell  after  all !" 

I  went  across  the  room,  and  poured  water  into 
the  basin  to  bathe  my  tear-stained  face.  But  I  found 
that  a  fountain  was  flowing  which  I  could  not  stop; 
and  a  blessed,  beautiful  love  and  peace  was  in  me 
that  water  could  not  wash  away. 

In  a  few  hours  the  ecstasy  was  gone;  but  I  was 
a  changed  man.  Moreover,  everybody  saw  it,  at 
home  and  abroad. 

In  going  from  my  house  to  the  store,  two  miles 


8  HEART  TALKS. 

away,  I  would  pray  three  times  before  I  got  there. 
I  had  the  places  picked  out,  one  in  a  deep  wooded 
valley,  one  in  a  willow  thicket  in  the  middle  of  the 
field,  and  one  on  the  top  of  a  hill,  protected  from  view 
by  a  clump  of  trees. 

I  was  very  ignorant  in  regard  to  spiritual  things; 
but  I  kept  on  praying,  read  much  in  a  Bible  which  I 
carried  in  my  pocket;  began  family  prayer,  although 
it  came  near  choking  me  to  pray  before  my  wife  and 
neighbors  who  dropped  in;  and,  in  addition,  talked 
to  everybody  who  would  listen  to  me  about  this  new 
strange,  wonderful  life  which  had  come  to  me. 

Two  men  drove  up  to  the  store  one  day,  and  after 
the  exchange  of  salutations,  pulled  out  a  flask  of 
whisky  and  asked  me  if  I  would  take  a  drink  with 
them.  I  replied:  "No,  I  thank  you.  Now,  as  you 
have  offered  something  to  me,  let  me  read  something 
to  you  out  of  this  Book." 

I  began  drawing  my  little  Bible  out  of  my  pocket ; 
but  the  instant  they  saw  what  it  was,  they  gave  their 
horse  a  sharp  cut  with  the  whip,  and  without  a  word 
of  farewell  dashed  down  the  road.  To  this  day  I  can 
recall  their  astonished  look,  discomfited  faces,  and 
rapid  retreat. 

Yet  with  this  completely  changed  life,  I  could  not 
understand  many  things  about  my  own  experience. 
I  could  not  see  why  that  delightful  joy  which 


CONVERSION.  Q 

filled  me  that  Sabbath  morning  had  left  me.  I  knew 
it  was  from  God;  but  why  should  it  depart?  It  did 
not  abide,  although  it  left  me  a  changed  man.  The 
constant  query  of  my  mind  was  relative  to  that  new 
sweet  emotion  that  swept  over  me.  Was  it  salva- 
tion, or  God  simply  encouraging  and  drawing  me  on 
to  salvation  yet  to  come?  Let  the  reader  remember 
I  had  no  one  to  look  to  or  advise  with. 

One  day  there  came  an  unutterable  longing  to 
experience  again  the  same  sweet  spiritual  sensation 
which  had  flooded  me  for  the  first  time  a  few  days 
before.  In  my  rummaging  over  the  library  for  re- 
ligious books  I  had  found  an  old  work,  wherein  I  read 
of  a  devout  woman  who  was  so  humble  that  she  al- 
ways prayed  to  God  on  her  face.  It  made  a  deep  im- 
pression on  me.  I  was  standing  on  the  gallery  of  the 
store  thinking  about  it  with  that  hungry  heart  of 
mine.  Looking  up  and  down  the  long  road,  I  saw 
no  one  in  sight,  whereupon  I  stretched  myself  upon 
the  ground,  put  my  face  down  in  the  grass,  and  asked 
God  to  please  grant  me  the  same  blessed  joy  He  had 
given  me  in  my  house  that  Sabbath  morning,  that  I 
might  know  I  was  His.  Instantly  I  was  filled  with 
holy  joy,  the  identical  first  experience.  I  arose  from 
the  ground  all  smiles,  and  with  happy  tears  flowing 
down  my  face.  But  in  a  few  hours  it  was  all  gone 
again. 


10  HEART  TALKS. 

So  passed  ten  days  or  two  weeks  away,  when  I 
became  hungry  for  spiritual  instruction.  There  was 
so  much  I  did  not  understand,  and  craved  to  know. 

I  determined  to  go  to  a  Methodist  preacher,  and 
lay  the  whole  case  before  him.  So,  saddling  my  horse, 
I  rode  twelve  miles  to  Yazoo  City,  and  called  on  the 
Rev.  R.  D.  Norsworthy.  There  were  other  preachers 
in  the  town;  but  it  is  significant  that  I  felt  drawn  to 
go  to  a  minister  of  the  Church  of  my  mother,  and  in 
which  I  had  been  brought  up. 

.This  Methodist  pastor  said  afterwards,  that  as  he 
saw  me  walking  towards  his  gate  he  felt,  as  he  looked 
at  my  face,  that  he  had  business  on  his  hands.  Tell- 
ing him  that  I  desired  to  speak  with  him  on  spiritual 
matters,  he  dismissed  all  from  the  room,  asked  me  to 
be  seated,  and  to  tell  him  what  was  on  my  mind. 

Something  of  my  ignorance  of  religious  phrases 
and  terms  can  be  seen  in  one  of  the  first  utterances 
that  fell  from  my  lips.  The  preacher  must  have  been 
amused,  if  not  amazed.  I  said  in  a  broken  voice: 
"Mr.  Norsworthy,  I  am  an  awakened  man;  but  I  do 
not  think  I  am  convicted  yet;"  and  promptly  bury- 
ing my  face  in  my  hands,  burst  into  a  flood  of  tears. 

From  this  occurrence  it  can  be  seen  that  the  heart 
and  head  do  not  always  run  equally  together  in  the 
race  for  heaven.  It  is  possible  to  be  all  right  in  soul, 
and  not  understand  theology.  The  spiritual  part  of 


MY  CONVERSION.  II 

a  divine  blessing  can  come  on  the  lightning  express, 
while  the  intellectual  part  may  arrive  some  hours  or 
days  later  on  the  freight. 

The  preacher  saw  at  once  that  I  was  a  converted 
man;  but  determined  that  God  should  tell  me,  and  in 
His  own  way  and  time.  He,  however,  quoted  a  num- 
ber of  Bible  passages  to  me,  which  brought  floods  of 
light  then  and  afterwards. 

So,  on  returning  home,  when  this  beautiful  joy 
swept  again  into  my  heart,  I  knew  it  was  the  Spirit's 
witness  to  my  salvation  and  sonship.  I  pored  over  the 
Bible,  devoured  every  good  book  I  could  find,  prayed 
on  my  knees  six  or  seven  times  a  day,  talked  religion 
to  everybody,  stirred  up  the  whole  country,  saw  my 
wife  and  sister  both  converted  in  less  than  a  month, 
and  became  blessedly  established  in  a  few  weeks. 


IL 

CALL  TO  THE  MINISTRY. 

SOON  after  my  conversion,  I  felt  drawn  to  join  the 
Methodist  Church.  Hiring  a  buggy,  I  drove 
into  Yazoo  City  one  Saturday  with  my  wife  and  two 
children.  The  little  ones  were  brought  in  to  be  bap- 
tized. We  all  came  to  the  altar  together,  the  whole 
family  being  given  to  God  at  the  same  hour.  On 
returning  to  my  pew,  I  was  melted  with  holy  love, 
and  wept  convulsively  with  my  head  bowed  on  the 
bench  before  me.  An  old,  grayheaded  member  of 
the  Church,  Brother  Hunter  by  name,  came  over  to 
me,  and,  giving  me  his  hand,  wept  also  as  he  tried  to 
speak. 

It  was  while  sitting  in  this  pew  I  felt  the  first  call 
to  preach.  As  my  eyes  fell  on  the  preacher  who  had 
taken  me  into  the  Church,  and  who  was  now  speak- 
ing in  the  pulpit,  a  voice  whispered  within  me,  "That 
is  your  place." 

I  was  astonished,  and  yet  thrilled.  In  another 
moment  this  verse  was  deeply  impressed  upon  me, 
and  I  was  less  familiar  with  it  than  many  other  pas- 
sages: "How  beautiful  upon  the  mountains  are  the 
feet  of  him  that  bringeth  good  tidings,  that  publish- 

13 


CALL   TO  THE  MINISTRY.  13 

eth  peace;  that  bringeth  good  tidings  of  good,  that 
publisheth  salvation;  that  saith  unto  Zion,  Thy  God 
reigneth !" 

As  these  words  lingered  like  a  strain  of  melody 
in  my  heart,  I  found  a  great  desire  springing  up  to 
do  as  the  verse  said.  It  seemed,  however,  as  I  thought 
upon  the  matter,  among  the  impossibilities,  and  so  I 
dismissed  the  thought,  and  remembered  the  impres- 
sion no  more  for  days. 

After  this  my  pastor  paid  me  a  short  visit,  and 
while  walking  with  him  along  the  road,  he  suddenly 
turned,  and  said,  "My  brother,  you  ought  to  preach." 

Again  I  was  both  pleased  and  yet  disturbed. 
Then  followed  several  weeks  of  a  most  remarkable 
struggle  in  regard  to  the  matter.  An  impression  was 
on  me  that  I  must  preach,  accompanied  with  delight- 
ful divine  touches  upon  the  soul;  but  as  I  reasoned 
against  and  resisted  it,  a  profound  gloom  would  come 
upon  me  for  hours. 

While  in  this  state  of  mind  I  spoke  one  day  to  a 
friend  and  relative,  who  was  an  unconverted  man, 
telling  him  of  the  impression  upon  me,  but  that  I  felt 
so  unworthy  that  it  seemed  to  me  if  I  should  enter 
the  pulpit  some  one  ought  to  kick  me  out.  His 
reply  was,  "If  you  feeel  this  way,  you  evidently  ought 
not  to  preach." 

His  answer  brought  no  relief,  but  cast  me  down 


14  HEART  TALKS. 

more  than  ever.  It  was  some  time  afterward  before 
I  got  the  light  to  see  that  he,  being  an  unregenerated 
man,  was  in  no  condition  to  give  advice  in  spiritual 
matters.  I  also  got  to  see  that  a  sense  of  unworthi- 
ness  is  a  good  and  proper  feeling  for  one  to  have  who 
enters  upon  the  sacred  vocation  of  the  ministry.  I 
saw  that  while  I  had  expressed  myself  unfortunately 
in  confessing  to  my  sense  of  unworthiness,  yet  back 
of  the  faulty  words  was  a  right  spirit  and  state  of 
heart  with  which  God  was  well  pleased. 

There  were  two  approaches  to  the  house  where  I 
lived, — one  which  skirted  a  field  and  went  over  a  hill 
to  the  high  road,  and  another  much  shorter,  which 
passed  through  a  narrow,  dark  valley  of  several  hun- 
dred yards  in  extent.  This  valley  was  so  filled  with 
forest  trees,  growing  up  its  steep  sides  and  bending 
over  at  the  summit,  that  even  in  the  daytime  the  place 
was  shadowy  and  gloomy-looking;  but  at  night  the 
darkness  was  intense,  and  on  starlit  nights  it  was  ex- 
ceedingly difficult  to  see  the  path  which  wound  about 
through  the  trees,  crossing  and  recrossing  the  little 
branch  of  water  that  tinkled  down  the  center. 

One  night  I  entered  this  place,  trying  to  persuade 
myself  that  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  preach,  that 
I  did  not  have  the  ability,  the  eloquence,  and  many 
other  things  that  I  thought  to  be  necessary.  I  found 
that  as  I  thus  mentally  argued  against  my  entering 


CALL   TO  THE  MINISTRY.  15 

upon  such  a  calling  and  life,  that  I  was  becoming  more 
and  more  darkened  in  mind  and  wretched  in  soul. 
About  the  time  I  reached  the  darkest  portion  of  the 
woods,  I  felt  that  the  valley  was  not  as  black  as  my 
spirit  in  its  conscious  lack  of  all  spiritual  light  and 
comfort.  I  was  in  such  misery,  and  there  came  upon 
me  such  a  horror  of  darkness,  that  I  fell  upon  the 
ground,  and  rolled  upon  the  leaves  in  the  most  acute 
and  overwhelming  distress. 

Suddenly,  I  know  not  why,  I  looked  up,  and  cried 
out,  "Lord,  I  will  preach,"  when  instantly  the  glory 
of  God  filled  me,  the  dark  valley  fairly  flashed  and 
glittered,  and  laughing,  crying,  and  shouting,  I  leaped 
along  the  path,  jumped  the  branch,  ran  up  the  hill- 
side, on  the  top  of  which  was  my  home,  and  fairly 
quivering  with  joy,  and  with  my  face  all  aglow  with 
the  happiness  in  me,  I  stood  before  my  wife  in  the 
sitting-room,  crying  out,  "I  will  preach." 

This  joy  remained  in  me  for  several  days,  when 
I  began  looking  again  at  my  unfitness.  I  remembered 
I  had  never  been  trained  to  speak  in  public,  had  not 
gone  to  a  theological  college,  was  far  from  sure  that 
I  could  preach  a  sermon,  etc.  Whereupon  all  the  old 
gloom  came  back  upon  me. 

I  struggled  along  with  the  depression  the  best  I 
could  while  I  attended  to  the  work  at  the  store.  One 
day  I  was  out  on  a  collecting  tour,  and  had  ridden 


16  HEART  TALKS. 

from  house  to  house,  and  plantation  to  plantation, 
with  my  bills  and  accounts,  and  was  that  wretched  I 
could  scarcely  speak  to  the  people  I  was  calling  upon. 
Happening  to  pass  in  the  neighborhood  of  my  home 
in  the  afternoon,  my  wife,  seeing  my  fatigue  and  mel- 
ancholy, insisted  on  my  stopping  while  she  had  me 
a  lunch  prepared.  I  sat  down  at  the  table  mechanic- 
ally, and  did  not  even  notice  what  was  placed  before 
me.  I  fear  I  did  not  hear  her  when  she  spoke  to  me. 
I  was  in  a  gloom  that  God  himself  was  putting  on  me 
to  bring  me  to  my  senses. 

I  can  not  tell  why  I  did  so,  but  without  any  mental 
process  leading  up  to  the  speech,  without  having 
anticipated  saying  it  a  minute  beforehand,  and  just 
as  if  it  was  hurled  out  of  me  by  some  internal  force, 
I  struck  the  table  with  my  clenched  hand,  and  cried, 
"I  will  preach  the  gospel!"  Instantly  the  glory  of 
God  rilled  me,  so  that  I  laughed,  wept,  and  rejoiced 
uncontrollably  for  fully  a  half  hour. 

Will  the  reader  be  out  of  patience  with  me,  when 
I  state  that,  in  spite  of  all  this  evident  will  of  God 
in  my  case,  I  allowed  Satan  in  the  next  hour  to 
direct  my  mind  to  the  fact  that  I  was  no  speaker, 
never  had  been  one,  and  that  the  twenty-sixth  year  of 
one's  life  was  a  very  late  hour  to  get  ready  for  such  an 
important  work.  The  consequence  was,  another  spell 
of  gloom  followed.  For  in  less  than  a  minute  after  I 


CALL   TO   THE  MINISTRY.  \? 

allowed  the  doubt  to  enter,  God's  Spirit  withdrew, 
and  left  me  in  the  old-time  horrible  gloom. 

It  gives  me  pleasure  to  state  that  the  next  battle 
I  fought  proved  a  victory,  and  one  that  was  glorious, 
complete,  and  permanent. 

Several  days  after  the  occurrence  just  related,  I 
was  sitting  one  night  in  company  with  my  wife  in  our 
room.  She  was  sewing  by  lamplight  on  one  side  of 
the  center-table,  while  I  was  on  the  other  side  unable 
to  read,  talk,  and  scarcely  think,  because  of  the  bur- 
den on  the  heart  and  conflict  in  the  mind.  Forgetful 
of  her  presence  and  everything  else  in  my  misery, 
suddenly  as  had  happened  twice  before,  without  any 
studied  purpose  of  saying  such  words,  here  they  came 
again,  "God  helping  me,  I  will  preach  the  gospel," 
when  such  a  flash  of  light,  such  a  tender,  melting, 
thrilling  joy  entered  my  soul,  that  I  leaped  to  my 
feet,  and  stood  all  trembling  and  transfigured  before 
my  wife.  To  this  day  I  recall  her  words:  "Beverly, 
how  can  you  doubt  God's  will  in  this  matter  any 
longer  after  what  he  has  just  done  for  you?" 

Thank  God!  I  never  did  any  more.  From  that 
hour  to  this,  there  has  never  been  a  question  in  my 
mind  but  that  God,  in  his  infinite  condescension, 
called  me  to  preach  the  gospel  of  his  blessed  Son,  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

A  few  weeks  after  this,  I  was  recommended  by  the 


1 8  HEART  TALKS. 

Church  Conference  of  Yazoo  City,  Rev.  R.  D.  Nors- 
worthy  pastor,  to  the  Quarterly  Conference  for  li- 
cense to  preach.  The  last  named  body  licensed  and 
recommended  me  to  the  Mississippi  Annual  Confer- 
ence. A  single  vote  was  cast  against  me ;  it  was  that 
of  the  old  man  who  had  wept  over  me  when  I  joined 
the  Church.  He  doubtless  could  not  see  how  so 
much  could  be  done  for  a  young  man  in  so  brief  a 
period:  converted  July  I2th,  and  here  in  October  li- 
censed to  preach  and  recommended  to  the  Annual 
Conference.  It  all  looked  like  undue  haste  and  gen- 
eral prematureness  to  him.  He  did  not  know  that 
sometimes  people  can  live  a  year  in  one  day,  and  that 
God  can  marvellously  carry  on  His  work  in  a  surren- 
dered soul  and  life. 

I  was  outside  of  the  church  while  they  were  bal- 
loting on  my  name,  having  been  requested  to  with- 
draw. I  can  see  the  old  brick  building  now,  the  place 
where  I  had  gone  to  Sunday-school  as  a  child,  and 
attended  Church  with  my  mother,  brother,  and  sis- 
ters. My  mind  was  not  on  what  the  Quarterly  Con- 
ference was  doing  inside.  I  was  in  the  shadow  of  an 
old  tree  which  grew  near  the  pavement,  and  was  look- 
ing up  at  the  distant  stars,  filled  with  thoughts  of 
Christ,  and  feeling  what  an  honor  and  responsibility 
was  laid  on  me  in  preaching  the  gospel. 

Some  one  came  to  the  church  door  and  called  me. 


CALL   TO  THE  MINISTRY.  19 

I  went  in,  and  was  told  by  the  presiding  elder,  the 
Rev.  H.  H.  Montgomery,  that  I  had  been  licensed  to 
preach,  and  recommended  for  the  traveling  connec- 
tion in  the  Mississippi  Annual  Conference,  the  next 
session  of  which  was  to  be  held  in  December,  1874, 
in  the  town  of  Hazelhurst. 

That  night,  when  assigned  to  a  room  in  the  hos- 
pitable home  of  the  Methodist  pastor,  I  could  not 
sleep;  but  lay  thinking  and  praying  on  the  bed.  It 
seemed  so  strange  to  be  a  preacher.  Then  I  felt  so 
keenly  my  littleness  and  helplessness  that  I  was  quite 
cast  down.  Suddenly  I  had  such  a  view  of  Christ 
presenting  me  to  his  Father,  protecting  and  covering 
me  by  his  love,  grace,  and  power,  that  I  was  filled  with 
one  of  the  sweetest  blessings  I  had  ever  experienced. 

Having  a  long  ride  before  me  the  next  day,  I 
arose  before  daylight  without  disturbing  the  family, 
saddled  my  horse,  and  left  Yazoo  City  asleep  behind 
me,  while  the  firmament  was  twinkling  above  my 
head,  and  the  morning  star  hung,  a  great  orb  of 
beauty,  in  the  east,  the  beautiful  forerunner  of  the 
unrisen  sun. 

I  was  five  miles  from  town  when  the  day  began 
to  break.  The  cotton  and  corn  fields  had  little  spots 
and  banks  of  silver  haze  upon  them.  A  sweetness  and 
freshness  was  in  the  air  of  the  early  dawn  that  was 
like  an  elixir  to  brain  and  heart.  The  hills  were 


20 


HEART  TALKS. 


standing  up  in  the  indistinct  light,  solemn  and  gray, 
like  great  altars.  A  slight  mist  on  their  heads  looked 
like  rising  incense.  Nature  seemed  to  be  sacrificing 
to  God.  I  was  drinking  it  all  into  my  already  over- 
flowing soul,  when  fully  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away,  on 
one  of  the  hills,  I  heard  a  negro  man  singing.  His 
voice  was  rich,  deep,  and  solemn.  The  hymn  was  a 
plaintive  old  melody.  The  words  and  music  God 
brought  to  me  through  the  misty,  tremulous,  beauti- 
ful morning  air  were : 

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CALL   TO  THE  MINISTRY.  21 

How  the  sacred  song  echoed  and  re-echoed  over 
the  fields,  in  the  valley,  and  was  thrown  back  from 
the  opposite  hillsides !  I  was  almost  breathless,  while 
the  words  "heavenly  race"  and  "immortal  crown" 
seemed  to  linger  the  longest. 

The  singer  was  hidden  from  me  in  the  trees  on 
the  hill.  He  knew  not  that  his  song  was  reaching, 
rilling,  and  blessing  me,  and  this  made  it  all  the  more 
powerful.  I  had  checked  the  canter  of  my  horse,  and 
was  walking  him  along  the  road,  that  I  might  catch 
every  strain  and  hear  every  word.  The  singer  was 
deliberate.  He  may  have  been  employed  in  some 
kind  of  work,  and  hence  took  his  time ;  so  that  a  full 
minute  elapsed,  giving  the  strains  of  the  first  verse 
full  time  to  die  away  in  the  distance  before  he  resumed 
again.  This  time  it  was : 

"A  cloud  of  witnesses  around, 

Hold  thee  in  full  survey; 
Forget  the  steps  already  trod, 
And  onward  urge  thy  way." 

This  time  I  felt  the  wonderful  strengthening  and 
girding  power  of  the  words,  and  said  most  fervently, 
"Lord,  it  shall  be  so." 

Again,  after  a  pause,  came  another  verse,  thrown 
outward  by  the  mellow,  solemn  voice  of  the  singer: 

"  'T  is  God's  all  animating  voice 

That  calls  thee  from  on  high; 
T  is  His  own  hand  presents  the  prize 
To  thine  aspiring  eye." 


22  HEART  TALKS. 

O,  how  the  strain  and  words  sank  into  the  soul! 
The  contrast  between  earth  and  heaven  was  so  pro- 
foundly felt.  The  littleness  of  the  one,  and  the  great- 
ness and  blessedness  of  the  other,  seemed  to  be  two 
facts  unquestioned  by  the  glowing  heart. 

As  the  Negro  sang  that  morning,  would  that  all 
could  have  heard  him  in  one  of  God's  natural  tem- 
ples! And  yet,  as  far  as  I  could  see,  there  was  but 
one  listener  and  worshiper  beside  himself.  What  a 
pity  not  to  have  heard  such  a  sacred  song,  with  the 
sides  of  the  valley  for  sounding-boards,  the  opaline 
sky  for  a  ceiling,  the  floating  mist  on  the  hilltops  like 
incense  rising  from  majestic  altars,  while  the  silent 
woods  and  fragrant  canebrakes  seemed  actually  to  be 
drinking  the  scene  and  sound  in,  like  the  solitary  lis- 
tener ! 

The  singer  reached  the  fourth  stanza.  How  tri- 
umphantly it  rang  out !  Not  a  note  or  word  was  lost : 

"  That  crown,  with  peerless  glories  bright, 

Which  shall  new  luster  boast, 
When  victors'  wreaths  and  monarch's  gems 
Shall  blend  in  common  dust." 

The  world  looked  very  little,  and  its  honors  and 
rewards  very  contemptible,  under  the  words  of  the 
last  verse.  Heaven  seemed  the  only  thing  worth  liv- 
ing for.  The  heart  was  all  melted,  and  the  tears 
dropped  fast. 


CALL   TO   THE  MINISTRY.  23 

I  had  reined  in  my  horse  to  hear  the  last  strain 
and  word  of  the  hymn  which  God  had  sent  to  me.  I 
also  wanted  to  impress  the  scene  upon  my  mind,  and 
carry  it  away  with  me,  a  precious  mental  treasure 
forever.  And  I  did  so. 

After  a  little,  when  the  silence  reigned  unbroken 
over  the  fields,  and  the  singer  had  gone,  I  touched 
my  horse  and  galloped  swiftly  away.  I  had  many 
miles  to  go,  and  much  to  do  that  day.  I  had  to  tell 
my  employer  that  God  had  work  for  me ;  I  wanted  to 
see  my  mother  and  get  her  blessing;  and  then  I 
wanted  to  reach  my  own  home  by  sundown,  where 
my  wife  was  waiting  to  hear  what  had  happened,  and 
what  I  was  going  to  do. 

All  this  was  attended  to  that  day  with  a  glad  and 
overflowing  heart.  The  die  had  been  cast.  I  had 
crossed  my  Rubicon.  I  had  turned  my  back  on  the 
old-time  life  forever,  and  was  now  the  Lord's.  I  was 
His  servant  and  ambassador  from  this  time  forth  to 
preach  his  gospel. 

But  I  took  that  morning  picture  with  me.  To 
this  hour  I  see  the  dawning  day,  the  outspread  misty 
fields,  the  motionless  woods,  the  silent,  solemn  hills, 
while  floating  over  it  all  I  hear  the  plaintive  song  of 
the  unseen  Negro  singer,  whom  God  sent  forth  to 
nerve,  encourage,  and  bless  the  soul  of  a  young, 
newly-made  preacher. 


24  HEART  TALKS. 

May  he,  with  all  others  in  the  Christian  ministry, 
be  able  to  join  in  the  last  verse  of  the  already  quoted 
song: 

"  Blest  Savior,  introduced  by  thee, 

Have  I  my  race  begun; 
Till,  crowned  with  vict'ry,  at  thy  feet 
I  '11  lay  my  honors  down." 


HI. 

MY  SANCTIFICATION. 

I  ALWAYS  believed  in  the  doctrine  in  a  general 
way,  but  not  in  the  way  particular.  That  is,  I 
recognized  it  as  being  true  in  our  standards  and 
religious  biographies;  but  was  not  so  quick  to  see 
it  in  the  life  and  experience  of  persons  claiming  the 
blessing.  I  was  too  loyal  a  Methodist  to  deny  what 
my  Church  taught  me  to  believe;  but  there  must 
have  been  beams  and  motes  that  kept  me  from  the 
enjoyment  of  a  perfect  vision  of  my  brother.  Perhaps 
I  was  prejudiced;  or  I  had  confounded  ignorance 
and  mental  infirmity  with  sin;  or,  truer  still,  I  was 
looking  on  a  "hidden  life,"  as  the  Bible  calls  it,  and, 
of  course,  could  not  but  blunder  in  my  judgments  and 
conclusions,  even  as  I  had  formerly  erred  as  a  sinner 
in  my  estimation  of  the  converted  man. 

I  remember  once  having  been  thrown  in  the  com- 
pany of  three  ministers  who  were  sanctified  men,  and 
their  frequent  "praise  the  Lords"  was  an  offense  to 
me.  I  saw  nothing  to  justify  such  demonstrativeness. 
The  fact  entirely  escaped  me  that  a  heart  could  be  in 
such  a  condition  that  praise  and  rejoicing  would  be 

as  natural  as  breathing;  that  the  cause  of  joy  rested 

25 


26  HEART  TALKS. 

not  in  anything  external,  but  in  some  fixed  inward 
state  or  possession;  that,  therefore,  perpetual  praise 
could  not  only  be  possible,  but  natural,  and  in  fact 
irrepressible.  But  at  that  time  all  this  was  hidden 
from  me,  except  in  a  theoretic  way,  or  as  mistily  be- 
held in  distant  lives  of  saints  who  walked  with  God 
on  earth  fifty  or  a  hundred  years  ago. 

In  my  early  ministry  I  was  never  thrown  with  a 
sanctified  preacher,  nor  had  I  ever  heard  a  sermon 
on  entire  sanctification.  I  beheld  the  promised  life 
from  a  Pisgah  distance,  and  came  back  from  the  view 
with  a  fear  and  feeling  that  I  should  never  come  into 
that  goodly  land.  So,  when  I  was  being  ordained 
at  Conference,  it  was  with  considerable  choking  of 
voice,  and  with  not  a  few  inward  misgivings  and 
qualms  of  conscience,  that  I  replied  to  the  bishop's 
questions,  that  I  was  "going  on  to  perfection,"  that 
I  "expected  to  be  made  perfect  in  love  in  this  life," 
and  that  I  "was  groaning  after  it."  Perhaps  the 
bishop  himself  was  disturbed  at  the  questions  he 
asked.  Perhaps  he  thought  it  was  strange  for  a  min- 
ister of  God  and  father  in  Israel,  whose  life  was  al- 
most concluded,  to  be  asking  a  young  preacher  if  he 
expected  to  obtain  what  he  himself  had  never  suc- 
ceeded in  getting.  Stranger  still,  if  he  asked  the 
young  prophet  if  he  expected  to  attain  what  he  really 
felt  was  unattainable ! 


MY  SANCTIFICATION.  VJ 

One  thing  I  rejoice  in  being  able  to  say:  That 
although  about  that  time,  while  surprised  and  grieved 
at  the  conduct  of  a  man  claiming  the  blessing  of 
sanctification,  and  although  doubts  disturbed  me  then 
and  even  afterward,  yet  I  thank  God  that  I  have  never, 
in  my  heart  or  openly,  denied  an  experience  or  warred 
against  a  doctrine  that  is  the  cardinal  doctrine  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  and  concerning  which  I  solemnly 
declared  to  the  bishop  that  I  was  groaning  to  obtain. 
God  in  his  mercy  has  kept  me  from  this  inconsis- 
tency— this  peculiar  denial  of  my  Church  and  my 
Lord.  Let  me  further  add,  that  in  spite  of  my  indis- 
tinct views  of  sanctification  all  along,  yet  ever  and 
anon  during  my  life  I  have  encountered  religious 
people  in  whose  faces  I  traced  spiritual  marks  and 
lines — a  divine  handwriting  not  seen  on  every  Chris- 
tain  countenance.  There  was  an  indefinable  some- 
thing about  them,  a  gravity  and  yet  sweetness  of 
manner,  a  containedness  and  quietness  of  spirit,  a 
restfulness  and  unearthliness,  a  far-awayness  about 
them,  that  made  me  feel  and  know  that  they  had  a  life 
and  experience  that  I  had  not;  that  they  knew  God 
as  I  did  not,  and  that  a  secret  of  the  Lord  had  been 
given  to  them  which  had  not  been  committed  to  me. 
These  faces  and  lives,  in  the  absence  of  sanctified 
preachers  and  sermons  on  the  subject,  kept  my  faith 
in  the  doctrine,  in  a  great  degree  I  suppose,  from 


±8  HEART  TALKS. 

utterly  perishing.  Then  there  were  convictions  of 
my  own  heart  all  along  in  regard  to  what  a  minister's 
life  should  be.  Only  a  month  before  my  sanctifica- 
tion,  there  was  impressed  upon  me  suddenly  one  day 
such  a  sense  of  the  holiness  and  awfulness  of  the  office 
and  work,  that  my  soul  fairly  sickened  under  the  con- 
sciousness of  its  own  shortcomings  and  failures,  and 
was  made  to  cry  out  to  God.  Moreover,  visions  of 
an  unbroken  soul-rest,  and  a  constant  abiding  spirit- 
ual power,  again  and  again  came  up  before  the  mind 
as  a  condition  possible  and  imperative.  A  remarkable 
thing  about  it  is,  that  these  impressions  came  to  one 
who  had  enjoyed  the  peace  of  God  daily  for  fifteen 
years. 

At  the  Seashore  Camp-ground,  in  1888,  after  hav- 
ing preached  at  eleven  o'clock,  the  writer  came  for- 
ward to  the  altar  as  a  penitent  convicted  afresh  under 
his  own  sermon,  that  he  was  not  what  he  should  be, 
nor  what  God  wanted  him  to  be  and  was  able  to  make 
him.  Many  will  remember  the  day  and  hour,  and  the 
outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  at  the  time.  I  see  now 
that  my  soul  was  reaching  out,  even  then,  not  for  the 
hundredth  or  thousandth  blessing  (for  these  I  had 
before  obtained),  but  what  is  properly  called  the 
Second  Blessing.  I  was  even  then  convicted  by  the 
Holy  Ghost  in  regard  to  the  presence  of  inbred  sin 
in  a  justified  heart. 


SANCTIFICATION.  29 

Nearly  a  year  afterward  I  instituted  a  series  of 
revival  services  in  Carondelet  Street  Church,  with  the 
Rev.  W.  W.  Hopper  as  my  helper.  At  all  the  morn- 
ing meetings  the  preacher  presented  the  subject  of 
entire  sanctification.  It  was  clearly  and  powerfully 
held  up  as  being  obtained  instantaneously  through 
consecration  and  faith.  Before  I  received  the  bless- 
ing myself,  I  could  not  but  be  struck  with  the  pres- 
ence and  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  While  urging 
the  doctrine  one  morning,  the  preacher  received  such 
a  baptism  of  glory  that  for  minutes  he  was  helpless; 
and  while  we  were  on  our  knees  supplicating  for  this 
instantaneous  sanctification,  the  Holy  Spirit  fell  here 
and  there  upon  individuals  in  the  assembly,  and  shouts 
of  joy  and  cries  of  rapture  went  up  from  the  kneeling 
congregation  in  a  way  never  to  be  forgotten.  The 
presence  of  God  was  felt  so  overwhelmingly  and  so 
remarkably  that  I  could  not  but  reason  after  this 
manner:  Here  is  being  presented  the  doctrine  of  in- 
stantaneous sanctification  by  faith.  If  it  were  a  false 
doctrine,  would  God  thus  manifest  himself?  Would 
the  Holy  Ghost  descend  with  approving  power  upon 
a  lie?  Does  he  not  invariably  withdraw  his  presence 
from  the  preacher  and  people  when  false  doctrine  is 
presented?  But  here  He  is  manifesting  Himself  in  a 
most  remarkable  manner.  The  meeting  or  hour  that 
is  devoted  to  this  one  subject  is  the  most  wonderful 


30  HEART  TALKS. 

meeting  and  hour  of  all.  The  service  fairly  drips  with 
unction.  Shining  faces  abound.  Christ  is  seen  in 
every  countenance.  If  entire  sanctification  obtained 
instantaneously  is  a  false  doctrine,  is  not  the  Holy 
Ghost  actually  misleading  the  people  by  granting  His 
presence  and  favor,  and  showering  His  smiles  at  the 
time  when  this  error  or  false  doctrine  is  up  for  dis- 
cussion and  exposition?  But  would  the  Spirit  thus 
deceive?  Irresistibly  and  with  growing  certainty  I 
was  led  to  see  that  the  truth  was  being  presented 
from  the  pulpit,  and  that  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  always 
honors  the  truth  when  preached,  was  falling  upon  ser- 
mon, preacher,  and  people,  because  it  was  the  truth. 
And  by  the  marvelous  and  frequent  display  of  His 
presence  and  power  at  each  and  every  sanctification 
meeting  He  was  plainly  setting  to  it  the  seal  of  His  ap- 
proval and  indorsement,  and  declaring  unmistakably 
that  the  doctrine  which  engrossed  us  was  of  heaven, 
and  was  true. 

One  morning  a  visitor — a  man  whom  I  admire 
and  love — made  a  speech  against  entire  sanctification, 
taking  the  ground  that  there  was  nothing  but  a  per- 
fect consecration  and  growth  in  grace  to  look  for; 
that  there  was  no  second  work  or  blessing  to  be  ex- 
perienced by  the  child  of  God.  This  was  about  the 
spirit  and  burden  of  his  remarks.  At  once  a  chill  fell 
upon  the  service,  that  was  noticed  then  and  com- 


SANCTIFICATION.        .  31 

mented  on  afterward.  The  visitor  was  instantly  re- 
plied to  by  one  who  had  just  received  the  blessing, 
and  as  immediately  the  presence  of  God  was  felt  and 
manifested.  And  to  the  proposition  made — that  all 
who  believed  in  an  instantaneous  and  entire  sanctifi- 
cation  would  please  arise — at  once  the  whole  audi- 
ence, with  the  exception  of  five  or  six  individuals, 
arose  simultaneously.  It  was  during  this  week  that 
the  writer  commenced  seeking  the  blessing  of  sancti- 
fication.  According  to  direction,  he  laid  everything 
on  the  altar — body,  soul,  reputation,  salary,  indeed 
everything.  Feeling  at  the  time  justified,  having 
peace  with  God,  he  could  not  be  said  to  have  laid  his 
sins  on  the  altar ;  for,  being  forgiven  at  that  moment, 
no  sin  was  in  sight.  But  he  did  this,  however :  he  laid 
inbred  sin  upon  the  altar ;  a  something  that  had  troub- 
led him  all  the  days  of  his  converted  life — a  some- 
thing that  was  felt  to  be  a  disturbing  element  in  his 
Christian  experience  and  life.  Who  will  name  this 
something?  It  is  called  variously  by  the  appellations 
of  original  sin,  depravity,  remains  of  sin,  roots  of 
bitterness  and  unbelief,  and  by  Paul  it  is  termed  "the 
old  man;"  for,  in  writing  to  Christians,  he  exhorts 
them  to  put  off  "the  old  man,"  which  was  corrupt. 
Very  probably  there  will  be  a  disagreement  about  the 
name  while  there  is  perfect  recognition  of  the  exist- 
ence of  the  thing  itself.  For  lack  of  a  title  that  will 


32  HEART  TALKS. 

please  all,  I  call  the  dark,  disturbing,  warring  prin- 
ciple "that  something."  It  gives  every  converted 
man  certain  measures  of  inward  disturbance  and 
trouble.  Mind  you,  I  do  not  say  that  it  compels  him 
to  sin,  for  this  "something"  can  be  kept  in  subjection 
by  the  regenerated  man.  But  it  always  brings  dis- 
turbance, and  often  leads  to  sin.  It  is  a  something 
that  leads  to  hasty  speeches,  quick  tempers,  feelings 
of  bitterness,  doubts,  suspicions,  harsh  judgments, 
love  of  praise,  and  fear  of  men.  At  times  there  is  a 
momentary  response  to  certain  temptations  that 
brings,  not  merely  a  sense  of  discomfort,  but  a  tinge 
and  twinge  of  condemnation.  All  these  may  be,  and 
are,  in  turn,  conquered  by  the  regenerated  man ;  but 
there  is  battle  and  wounds ;  and  often  after  the  battle 
a  certain  uncomfortable  feeling  within  that  it  was  not 
a  perfect  victory.  It  is  a  something  that  at  times 
makes  devotion  a  weariness,  the  Bible  to  be  hastily 
read  instead  of  devoured,  and  prayer  a  formal  ap- 
proach instead  of  a  burning  interview  with  God  that 
closes  with  reluctance.  It  makes  Church-going  at 
times  not  to  be  a  delight,  is  felt  to  be  a  foe  to  secret 
and  spontaneous  giving,  causes  religious  experience 
to  be  spasmodic,  and  presents  within  the  soul  a 
constant,  abiding,  and  unbroken  rest.  Rest  there  is; 
but  it  is  not  continuous,  unchanging,  and  permanent. 
It  is  a  something  that  makes  true  and  noble  men  of 


MY  SANCTIFICATION.  33 

God,  when  appearing  in  the  columns  of  a  Christian 
newspaper  in  controversy,  to  make  a  strange  mistake, 
and  use  gall  instead  of  ink,  and  write  with  a  sword 
instead  of  a  pen.  It  is  a  something  that  makes 
religious  assemblies  sing  with  great  emphasis  and 
feeling : 

"Prone  to  wander,  Lord,  I  feel  it." 

It  is  an  echo  that  is  felt  to  be  left  in  the  heart,  in 
which  linger  sounds  that  ought  to  die  away  forever. 
It  is  a  thread  or  cord-like  connection  between  the 
soul  and  the  world,  although  the  two  have  drifted  far 
apart.  It  is  a  middle  ground,  a  strange  medium,  upon 
which  Satan  can  and  does  operate,  to  the  inward  dis- 
tress of  the  child  of  God,  whose  heart  at  the  same  time 
is  loyal  to  his  Savior,  and  who  feels  that  if  he  died 
even  then,  he  would  be  saved. 

Now  that  something  I  wanted  out  of  me.  What 
I  desired  was  not  the  power  of  self-restraint  (that  I 
had  already),  but  a  spirit  naturally  and  unconsciously 
meek.  Not  so  much  a  power  to  keep  from  all  sin, 
but  a  deadness  to  sin.  I  wanted  to  be  able  to  turn 
upon  sin  and  the  world  the  eye  and  ear  and  heart  of 
a  dead  man.  I  wanted  perfect  love  to  God  and  man, 
and  a  perfect  rest  in  my  soul  all  the  time.  This  dark 
"something"  that  prevented  this  life,  I  laid  on  the 
altar,  and  asked  God  to  consume  it  as  by  fire.  I  never 

asked  God  once  at  this  time  for  pardon.    That  I  had 
3 


34  HEART  TALKS. 

in  my  soul  already.     But  it  was  cleansing,  sin  eradi- 
cation, I  craved.    My  prayer  was  for  sanctification. 

After  the  battle  of  consecration  came  the  battle  of 
faith.  Both  precede  the  perfect  victory  of  sancti- 
fication. Vain  is  consecration  without  faith  to  secure 
the  blessing.  Hence  men  can  be  consecrated,  and 
not  know  the  blessing  of  sanctification.  I  must  be- 
lieve there  is  such  a  work  in  order  to  realize  the  grace. 
Here  were  the  words  of  the  Lord  that  proved  a  foun- 
dation for  my  faith:  "Every  devoted  thing  is  most 
holy  unto  the  Lord."  "The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ, 
his  Son,  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin."  Still  again :  "The 
altar  sanctifieth  the  gift."  In  this  last  quotation  is 
a  statement  of  a  great  fact.  The  altar  is  greater  than 
the  gift;  and  whatsoever  is  laid  upon  the  altar  be- 
comes sanctified  or  holy.  It  is  the  altar  that  does  the 
work.  The  question  arises:  Who  and  what  is  the 
altar?  In  Hebrews  xiii,  10-12,  we  are  told.  Dr. 
Clarke,  in  commenting  upon  the  passage,  says  the 
altar  here  mentioned  is  Jesus  Christ.  All  who  have 
studied  attentively  the  life  of  our  Lord  can  not  but 
be  impressed  with  the  fact  that  in  his  wondrous  per- 
son is  seen  embraced  the  priest,  the  lamb,  and  the 
altar.  He  did  the  whole  thing;  there  was  no  one  to 
help.  As  the  victim  He  died,  as  the  priest  He  offered 
Himself,  and  His  divine  nature  was  the  altar  upon 
which  the  sacrifice  was  made.  The  Savior,  then,  is 


MY  SANCTIFICATION.  35 

the  Christian's  altar.  Upon  Him  I  lay  myself.  The 
altar  sanctifies  the  gift.  The  blood  cleanses  from  all 
sin,  personal  and  inbred.  Can  I  believe  that?  Will 
I  believe  it?  My  unbelief  is  certain  to  shut  me  out 
of  the  blessing;  my  belief  as  certainly  shuts  me  in. 
The  instant  we  add  a  perfect  faith  to  a  perfect  conse- 
cration, the  work  is  done  and  the  blessing  descends. 
As  Paul  says,  "We  which  have  believed  do  enter  into 
rest." 

All  this  happened  to  the  writer.  For  nearly  three 
days  he  lived  in  a  constant  state  of  faith  and  prayer. 
He  believed  God;  he  believed  the  work  was  done 
before  the  witness  was  given. 

On  the  morning  of  the  third  day — may  God  help 
me  to  tell  it  as  it  occurred! — the  witness  was  given. 
In  was  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning.  That 
morning  had  been  spent  from  daylight  in  meditation 
and  prayer.  I  was  alone  in  my  room  in  the  spirit  of 
prayer,  in  profound  peace  and  love,  and  in  the  full 
expectancy  of  faith,  when  suddenly  I  felt  that  the 
blessing  was  coming.  By  some  delicate  instinct  or 
intuition  of  soul  I  recognized  the  approach  and  de- 
scent of  the  Holy  Ghost.  My  faith  arose  to  meet  the 
blessing.  In  another  minute  I  was  literally  prostrated 
by  the  power  of  God.  I  called  out  again  and  again : 
"O  my  God !  my  God !  and  glory  to  God !"  while  bil- 
lows of  fire  and  glory  rolled  in  upon  my  soul  with 


36  HEART  TALKS. 

steady,  increasing  force.  The  experience  was  one  of 
fire.  I  recognized  it  all  the  while  as  the  baptism  of 
fire.  I  felt  that  I  was  being  consumed.  For  several 
minutes  I  thought  I  would  certainly  die.  I  knew  it 
was  sanctification.  I  knew  it  as  though  the  name  was 
written  across  the  face  of  the  blessing  and  upon  every 
wave  of  glory  that  rolled  in  upon  my  soul. 

Can  not  God  witness  to  purity  of  heart  as  he  does 
to  pardon  of  sin?  Are  not  his  blessings  self-inter- 
preting? He  that  impresses  a  man  to  preach,  that 
moves  him  unerringly  to  the  selection  of  texts  and 
subjects,  that  testifies  to  a  man  that  he  is  converted, 
can  he  not  let  a  man  know  when  he  is  sanctified?  In 
answer,  read  Hebrews  x,  14:  "For  by  one  offering  He 
hath  forever  perfected  them  that  are  sanctified, 
whereof  the  Holy  Ghost  also  is  a  witness  to  us." 

I  knew  I  was  sanctified,  just  as  I  knew  fifteen  years 
before  that  I  was  converted.  I  knew  it,  not  only 
because  of  the  work  itself  in  my  soul,  but  through 
the  Worker.  He,  the  Holy  Ghost,  bore  witness 
clearly,  unmistakably,  and  powerfully  to  his  own 
work;  and  although  years  have  passed  away  since 
that  blessed  morning,  yet  the  witness  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  the  work  is  as  clear  to-day  as  it  was  then. 


IV. 

CALL  TO  THE  EVANGELISTIC  WORK. 

OOME  good  people  have  expressed  great  skepti- 
^  cism  in  regard  to  a  special  call  from  God  to  evan- 
gelize. They  can  understand  a  regular  call  to  the 
ministry,  but  fail  to  see  and  believe  in  an  impression 
from  the  Holy  Ghost  for  that  particular  work. 

There  are  several  facts  which  should  cause  them 
to  give  perfect  credence  to  the  statements  of  preach- 
ers who  have  been  thus  impressed,  anointed,  and 
separated  for  the  calling  and  peculiar  labor. 

One  fact  is  the  existence  of  such  a  spiritual  office 
in  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  Among  the  Savior's  gifts 
to  the  Church,  in  addition  to  prophets,  apostles,  pas- 
tors, and  teachers,  Paul  mentions  the  evangelist.  The 
Scripture  does  not  leave  us  in  doubt  as  to  who  and 
what  he  is;  and  so,  after  telling  us  in  Ephesians  how 
he  is  to  "perfect  the  saints"  and  "edify  the  body  of 
Christ,"  etc.,  we  are  shown  in  another  book  a  vivid, 
life-size  picture  of  one  at  work.  The  portrait  is  that 
of  Philip,  sent  here  and  there,  caught  away  to  this 
place,  having  a  revival  in  another  place,  and  always 
filled  with  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  Bible  • 
says  about  him,  that  he  was  an  evangelist;  the 

37 


38  HEART  TALKS. 

Scriptural  idea  of  such  an  office  being  that  of  a  man 
constantly  on  the  move  for  God,  and  preaching  as  he 
goes.  Certainly  the  conclusion  is  clear,  that  if  there 
be  such  a  spiritual  office  and  work,  there  will  be  a 
call  to  that  effect  from  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Our  bishops  ought  not  to  be  surprised  at  such  a 
call  when,  being  preachers  already,  they  state  that 
they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  take  upon 
them  the  office  and  work  of  a  bishop  in  the  Church 
of  God;  a  work  and  office  decidedly  different  in 
many  respects  from  that  of  a  pastor.  From  compara- 
tive obscurity  he  springs  into  prominence;  from  a 
small  salary  he  is  advanced  to  a  large  one;  from  a 
small  local  influence  to  lifetime  power;  from  being 
ruled  to  ruling  others.  This  is  a  great  change;  yet 
they  say,  before  a  large  crowd  of  listening  preachers 
and  laymen,  that  they  have  been  moved  by  the  Holy 
Ghost  to  take  upon  them  this  office. 

It  certainly  appears  to  the  writer  that  when  an 
evangelist  arises,  and  says  that,  as  a  preacher,  the  call 
of  God  has  come  to  him  to  enter  upon  a  work  which 
means  increased  labor,  uncertain  income,  and  often- 
times lifetime  reproach,  our  bishops  ought  to  be  the 
last  to  doubt  him.  If  the  two  calls  of  bishop  and 
evangelist  are  brought  under  the  searching  light  of 
the  Gospel,  which  seems  to  be  the  most  spiritual  and 


CALL   TO   THE  EVANGELISTIC   WORK.  39 

heavenly,  and  which  life  looks  most  like  that  of  the 
Man  of  Nazareth  and  Galilee? 

Again,  our  missionaries  ought  not  to  be  surprised. 
They  were  preachers,  and  yet  upon  them,  as  such,  came 
the  call  to  cross  the  sea  and  labor  with  the  heathen. 
Not  every  minister  of  the  gospel  has  this  call.  In 
addition  they  feel  impressed  to  go  to  certain  coun- 
tries. One  man  is  convinced  he  must  labor  in  Africa, 
another  in  Japan,  a  third  in  China,  a  fourth  in  Alaska, 
and  so  on  through  the  list.  He  who  calls  them  to  be 
missionaries  knows  their  mental  and  physical  fitness 
for  certain  parts  of  the  world,  and  whispers  India, 
Egypt,  or  some  island  of  the  sea. 

Is  it  not  strange  that  the  Church,  with  these  facts 
about  the  bishops  and  missionaries  before  them, 
should  wonder  at  the  special  call  of  God  to  some  of 
his  servants  to  evangelize. 

There  are  other  facts  which,  if  mentioned,  would 
be  seen  to  make  an  unanswerable  argument  for  the 
necessity  of  the  work  of  a  true  evangelist  in  the 
Church.  But  the  scope  and  design  of  this  chapter 
will  not  allow  me  to  bring  them  forward.  Some  of 
them  the  reader  will  not  have  much  difficulty  in 
guessing.  They  all  confirm  the  fact  of  a  distinct 
divine  call  to  the  evangelistic  work.  It  may  be  a  call 
for  life,  or  for  a  shorter  period.  Nevertheless  it 


40  HEART  TALKS. 

comes,  has  come,  and  will  continue  to  come  to  certain 
ones  of  the  servants  of  God.  It  came  to  me.  It  may 
be  removed,  but  as  yet  is  upon  me.  Moreover, 
I  did  not  want  to  be  an  evangelist.  When  it  was 
first  suggested  to  me  by  a  friend  in  the  beginning 
of  the  year  1891,  the  thought  filled  me  with  great 
pain.  I  was  perfectly  satisfied  with  my  work  as  a 
pastor.  Have  always  been  happy  in  it,  and  successful 
as  well.  Wedded  as  I  was  to  the  life,  to  the  duties  as 
well  as  pleasures  of  the  pastorate,  the  reader  can  see 
it  would  take  a  good  deal  to  get  me  out  of  it. 

The  first  voice  in  this  direction  was  an  impression 
which  came  vividly  to  me  one  day,  that  I  would  yet 
be  one.  This  was  in  the  early  part  of  1893. 

A  second  time,  weeks  afterward,  it  came  upon  me 
while  looking  on  my  congregation  at  First  Church, 
which  body  of  people  I  most  deeply  loved.  The  im- 
pression was  as  clear  to  the  mind  as  print  to  the  eye, 
"You  must  leave  them  and  go  out  for  Me." 

A  third  time  it  came,  while  I  was  on  my  face  in 
the  altar  of  my  church,  surrounded  by  a  line  of  peni- 
tents and  seekers  after  pardon  and  holiness.  The 
whisper  came  to  me,  "You  must  be  an  evangelist." 
As  the  word  evangelist  was  impressed  upon  my  mind 
this  time,  a  most  heavenly  sweetness  filled  my  soul, 
and  a  peace  so  deep  and  exquisite  came  upon  me,  that 
I  felt  my  heart  would  fairly  melt  within  me.  I  wept 


CALL   TO  THE  EVANGELISTIC  WORK.  4! 

silently  on  my  face  before  the  Lord,  and  whispered 
back,  "I  will  go,  Lord." 

At  this  time  God  was  pleased  to  send  me  a  double 
confirmation  of  the  call.  One  was  in  the  general  con- 
viction of  the  people  that  I  ought  to  be  and  would 
be  an  evangelist.  This  corresponds  with  what  takes 
place  when  a  man  is  called  to  preach  the  gospel; 
others  are  impressed  at  the  same  time  that  he  should 
do  so. 

The  other  confirmation  consisted  in  numerous 
"calls"  from  every  direction  for  evangelistic  help  in 
meetings.  The  doors  already  began  to  open. 

One  day,  under  an  unusually  deep  impression  that 
I  must  enter  upon  such  a  life,  I  spoke  out  suddenly 
to  a  member  of  my  family,  and  said,  "I  believe  God  is 
going  to  swing  me  from  Massachusetts  to  California." 

How  well  this  has  been  fulfilled  is  well-known  to 
thousands  of  people  in  the  land. 

After  this,  on  a  certain  occasion  when  I  had  per- 
mitted myself  to  look  at  the  toil,  hardship,  and  un- 
certain support  of  the  calling,  the  long  absences  from 
home  it  would  entail,  and  other  disagreeable  features 
that  can  readily  be  conjectured,  God  visited  me  in 
another  way.  The  mind  of  the  Spirit  was  made 
known  to  me  in  a  very  different  and  painful  manner. 
An  impression  vivid  as  lightning  was  shot  through 
me,  that  was  as  quickly  comprehended  as  though  it 


42  HEART  TALKS. 

had  been  language.  It  was  to  this  effect :  "If  you  do 
not  go,  I  will  lock  up  the  Bible  to  you." 

I  can  never  forget  the  shocked  and  distressed  feel- 
ing of  that  moment.  I  was  perfectly  conscious  that 
God  was  speaking  to  me  through  his  Spirit,  and  that 
if  I  did  not  yield  and  go,  the  peculiar  judgment 
mentioned  above  would  be  visited  upon  me,  and  I, 
who  had  been  unfolding  the  Bible  and  preaching  four 
times  a  week  with  most  delightful  ease  to  my  people, 
would  find  the  sacred  volume  in  my  hands  locked 
and  sealed. 

Still  later  than  this,  while  in  the  church  one  day 
during  service,  I  had  an  open-eyed,  waking  vis- 
ion of  a  broad  landscape  filled  with  church  spires,  and 
from  whose  belfries  came  the  sound  of  ringing  bells. 
I  saw  men  standing  before  these  buildings,  looking 
toward  and  beckoning  to  me.  The  very  bells  seemed 
to  call  me.  My  soul  was  both  melted  and  aroused 
at  the  sight,  and  I  do  not  remember  to  have  doubted 
or  resisted  the  evangelistic  call  again. 

I  made  my  preparations  to  leave  the  pastorate, 
writing  to  the  bishop  of  our  Conference  concerning 
my  intention,  and  telling  him  that  while  I  greatly  re- 
gretted to  locate,  yet  as  I  was  not  sick  or  disabled,  I 
did  not  see  how  I  could  conscientiously  ask  for  a 
supernumerary  relation,  and  in  order  to  do  the  right 
and  honest  thing  I  would  request  a  location. 


CALL   TO  THE  EVANGELISTIC  WORK.  43 

This  step  is  a  grave  one  to  a  Methodist  preacher. 
It  meant  with  me  the  severing  of  relations  that  had 
been  tender  and  beautiful  for  eighteen  years.  It 
meant  the  cutting  off  from  my  family,  in  case  of 
my  breaking  down  or  death,  a  certain  annual  income 
paid  by  the  Conference  to  certain  claimants.  Eigh- 
teen laborious  years  spent  in  the  itinerancy  had  given 
me  a  good  right  and  title  to  such  a  fund;  but  I  cut 
myself  and  family  off  from  this  financial  help,  as  by 
a  single  stroke,  through  my  location. 

The  day  I  stood  up  at  Conference  to  ask  that  I 
might  be  located,  my  heart  melted,  my  voice  nearly 
broke  down,  and  eyes  overflowed  with  the  genuine 
sorrow  which  I  felt.  I  told  the  Conference  in  my 
farewell  remarks,  that  "I  loved  the  Methodist  Church, 
her  doctrines,  experiences,  bishops,  preachers,  and 
people;  that  I  always  expected  to  entertain  this  love; 
that  a  Methodist  preacher  had  baptized  me,  another 
had  taken  me  into  the  Church,  a  third  had  married 
me ;  that  Methodist  preachers  had  baptized  and  buried 
my  wife  and  children,  and,  please  God,  they  should 
bury  me." 

The  scene  will  be  recalled  by  many  as  a  tearful 
time.  Some  one  started  a  hymn,  a  number  of  the 
brethren  came  forward  and  threw  their  arms  around 
me,  and  tears  were  flowing  fast  all  around,  when  the 
gavel  of  the  bishop  fell  with  a  sharp  rap,  and  I,  at 


44  HEART  TALKS. 

my  own  request,  was  located  in  order  to  become  an 
evangelist. 

I  know  that  it  was,  and  is  still,  a  grave  step.  As 
an  evangelist  I  have  no  bishop  or  presiding  elder  to 
look  after  my  family  in  my  absence,  or  in  case  of  dis- 
tress and  want.  In  the  event  of  my  own  personal 
sickness  or  exhaustion  from  the  work,  I  have  no 
salary  to  live  on  like  a  pastor  until  I  get  well.  I  have 
no  Board  of  Stewards  to  provide  for  me,  or  send  me 
away  to  some  distant  place  to  recuperate  and  recover, 
while  at  the  same  time  the  family  in  my  absence  is 
looked  after  and  provided  for  as  though  its  head  were 
present,  engaged  in  faithful  pulpit  and  pastoral  work. 
All  this  is  lost  in  becoming  an  evangelist.  Moreover, 
I  knew  it  when  I  located. 

What  a  step  it  was!  It  helped  me  to  understand 
better  than  ever  before  the  Scriptural  account  of  Peter 
leaping  out  on  the  waves  to  walk  to  Jesus,  and  of 
Abraham  going  forth  at  the  command  of  God  into 
strange  countries,  not  knowing  whither  he  went. 
Here  I  was  with  a  large  family,  with  heavy  monthly 
expenses  to  meet,  with  no  bank  account,  and  no  Offi- 
cial Board  back  of  me,  and  yet  called  to  swing  out 
over  the  land  to  teach  and  defend  a  lost,  forgotten, 
and  despised  doctrine  and  experience,  with  countless 
battles  to  fight,  ecclesiastical  opposition  in  high  places 


CALL   TO   THE  EVANGELISTIC  WORK.  45 

to  meet,  and  the  evil  forces  of  two  worlds  against  me. 
I  was  to  leap  out  on  the  waves,  and  go  out  at  the 
command  of  the  Lord,  not  knowing  whither  I  went. 

So  my  new  appointment  was  the  United  States 
Circuit.  The  Savior  was  my  Bishop,  the  Archangel 
Gabriel  my  Presiding  Elder;  and  the  angels,  ravens, 
and  widow  women  through  the  land  were  my  Board 
of  Stewards. 

I  am  still  living,  traveling,  preaching,  and  rejoic- 
ing, while  God  continues  to  answer  by  fire ;  and  wher- 
ever I  go  sinners  are  saved,  backsliders  reclaimed, 
and  believers  are  wholly  sanctified  to  God. 

For  almost  six  years  I  have  been  preaching  a  free 
and  full  salvation  all  over  our  broad  land ;  the  first  to 
the  sinner,  the  second  to  the  believer.  I  have  held 
meetings  in  nearly  every  State  in  the  Union,  beside 
the  Dominion  of  Canada.  I  have  witnessed  in  that 
time  fully  fifteen  thousand  souls  converted,  re- 
claimed, and  sanctified.  My  absences  from  home 
range  from  two  to  seven  months  at  a  time.  Tight 
places  and  trying  hours  have  been  many.  The  body 
has  often  been  almost  exhausted,  and  the  heart  at 
times  lonely  in  a  human  sense.  But  the  constant 
smile  and  presence  of  Christ  has  cheered,  His  hand 
and  voice  has  called  me  on  to  new  fields,  and  as  I 
have  joyfully  sprung  forward  to  do  His  will  and  pro- 


46  HEART  TALKS. 

claim  a  full  gospel,  He  has,  without  a  single  exception, 
on  thousands  of  battle-fields  stood  by  me,  and  given 
me  the  victory. 

What  matter  if  devils  rage,  and  human  opposition 
be  felt.  As  I  preach  the  Spirit  answers  to  the  Blood, 
the  fire  falls  upon  the  Word,  sinnners  are  saved, 
Christians  are  sanctified,  Christ  is  uplifted  and  glori- 
fied, and  my  own  soul  is  thrilled,  and  blessed,  and 
satisfied.  Hallelujah ! 


V. 

REVIVALS. 

SOME  people  have  regarded  a  protracted  meeting 
and  a  revival  as  synonymous.  But  they  are  far 
from  being  the  same.  The  one  is  a  means,  and  the 
other  should  be  the  end  in  view.  The  protracted 
meeting  is  inaugurated  in  order  to  obtain  a  revival. 
But  many  times  the  protracted  services  conclude  as 
they  began,  without  a  sign  of  a  genuine,  scriptural, 
Holy  Ghost  revival. 

There  are  preachers  who  were  once  famous  for 
their  success  in  this  regard,  but  who  in  later  life 
seem  to  have  lost  all  their  former  power.  There  are 
Churches  which  were  once  noted  as  centers  of  salva- 
tion, that  afterward  entered  upon  a  period  of  decline 
and  spiritual  lifelessness,  reminding  one  of  the  Bible 
description,  "Thrice  dead  and  plucked  up  by  the 
roots."  The  change  in  individuals  and  churches  in 
this  regard  is  painfully  evident  to  all  spiritual  ob- 
servers. 

A  revival  on  the  divine  side  is  the  undoubted 
manifestation  of  the  presence  of  God,  the  outpouring 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  actual  conscious  arrival  of 

Christ  in  the  midst  of  the  congregation.     On  the 

47 


48  HEART  TALKS. 

human  side  it  is  seen  in  the  conversion  of  sinners, 
reclamation  of  backsliders,  sanctification  of  believers, 
great  joyfulness  and  activity  upon  the  part  of  the 
Church,  and  deep  and  solemn  conviction  in  the  entire 
community. 

This  state  of  things  is  brought  about  by  the  faith- 
ful preaching  of  the  Word  and  the  humble,  prayerful 
waiting  upon  God  of  the  people.  If  the  protracted 
meeting  lacks  these  features,  the  pulpit  being  with- 
out unction,  and  the  pew  failing  in  humility,  obedi- 
ence, supplication,  and  persistent  seeking  after  God, 
the  services  end  in  utter  failure.  There  is  no  descent 
of  the  Spirit,  no  quickening  of  dead  hearts,  no  glad- 
ness and  freedom,  no  rout  and  defeat  of  sin,  no  salva- 
tion, no  anything  that  is  desirable  and  blessed  in  the 
spiritual  life. 

A  genuine  revival  is  unmistakable.  It  is  not  only 
seen,  but  felt.  There  was  no  need  to  post  bills  and 
placards  on  the  walls  and  fences,  stating  that  the  Holy 
Ghost  had  fallen  upon  the  disciples  in  the  Upper 
Room.  Some  kind  of  indescribable  telegraphy  flashed 
the  news  everywhere.  It  is  a  wireless  telegraphy, 
but  none  the  less  certain.  As  soon  as  Samaria  re- 
ceives the  Word  of  God,  it  seems  to  be  known  in 
Jerusalem.  When  any  Church  receives  the  Holy 
Ghost,  it  would  be  easier  to  hide  a  city  on  a  hill  with 
its  twinkling  lights  than  this  fact. 


REVIVALS.  49 

In  one  of  Dr.  Finney's  revivals,  a  man  was  com- 
ing in  from  the  country  to  the  town  where  the  work 
of  grace  was  going  on,  and  when  he  was  still  a  mile 
away  suddenly  felt  such  a  spiritual  atmosphere  that 
he  was  completely  melted,  and  came  into  the  place  all 
hushed  and  subdued.  God  had  drawn  a  line  of  holy 
grace  and  power  all  around  the  town,  and  it  came  to 
pass  that  when  a  man  passed  it,  he  was  shot  through 
with  a  dart. 

A  revival  brings  with  it  such  a  spirit  of  song, 
praise,  and  gladness,  such  responsiveness  in  worship, 
such  warmth  and  power  in  prayer,  such  a  tender  glow 
through  all  the  service,  such  waves  of  joy  and  glory, 
that  it  can  not  be  mistaken.  There  is  no  straggling 
to  the  meeting.  People  come  in  a  hurry,  and  early, 
and  stay  late. 

In  one  of  my  meetings  in  a  Western  State,  the 
congregation  packed  the  house  one  hour  before  the 
time  of  regular  evening  service,  which  was  7.30.  We 
were  compelled  to  move  the  hour  of  worship  up  to 
6.30.  The  crowd  then  filled  the  building  at  six 
o'clock.  It  was  amusing  to  see  the  sexton  ringing 
the  first  and  second  bell,  when  the  audience  had  al- 
ready crowded  the  house.  The  writer  asked  him  with 
a  smile  why  he  rang  the  bell  when  the  congregation 
had  jammed  the  building  before  the  first  belfry  sum- 
mons ;  was  it  to  let  the  public  know  that  there  was  no 
4 


50  HEART  TALKS. 

more  room  in  the  house?  He  failed  to  understand 
the  little  piece  of  harmless  satire,  and  rang  on  just  the 
same  for  five  minutes  at  a  time,  in  obedience,  we  sup- 
pose, to  the  law  of  habit,  while  the  people  smiled  all 
around  at  the  needless  wasted  energy  of  an  ecclesias- 
tical machine  or  automaton. 

The  revival  can  come  gradually,  as  the  light  creeps 
up  over  the  hills  in  the  east,  or  suddenly,  like  a  cloud- 
burst. In  the  first  instance  there  is  seen  a  growing 
seriousness  on  the  part  of  the  people,  a  quiet,  general 
melting,  and  almost  before  one  knows  it,  the  gospel 
tide  is  in,  and  the  Church  beach  is  covered  with  the 
warm,  sunlit  waves  of  salvation.  In  the  second  in- 
stance, there  has  been  faithful  preaching  for  days,  a 
steady  holding  on  to  God  by  faith  and  prayer,  when 
on  the  fourth,  fifth,  eighth,  tenth,  or  thirteenth  day, 
as  the  place  was  more  or  less  difficult,  there  is  a  sudden 
falling  of  the  Spirit  upon  the  people,  followed  in- 
stantly by  a  melting  down,  breaking  up,  and  rejoicing 
time  that  would  defy  all  description. 

These  sudden  downfalls  of  the  Holy  Ghost  would 
read  in  print  as  follows:  "The  revival  broke  out  at 
eleven  or  twelve  o'clock  on  such  a  morning,  or  eight 
or  nine  o'clock  on  a  certain  evening ;"  the  point  being 
that  all  knew  when  the  "Power  came  down,"  the  Holy 
Ghost  fell  on  the  audience,  or  the  revival  really  began. 

These  instantaneous  downpourings  of  the  Holy 


REVIVALS.  51 

Spirit  have  established  a  remarkable  similarity  in  my 
mind  to  certain  natural  phenomena.  As  I  have  wit- 
nessed oftentimes  in  my  meetings  the  hours  of  prayer- 
ful, anxious  expectancy  of  the  divine  arrival,  followed 
in  a  single  second  with  the  sudden  overpowering  de- 
scent of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  that  succeeded  by  a 
steady  outpouring  on  human  hearts  and  lives,  of 
streams  and  floods  of  grace  and  glory,  I  have  been 
invariably  made  to  think  of  a  sudden  flash  of  light- 
ning, the  sharp,  cracklike  report  of  a  peal  of  thunder, 
and  then  the  steady  downpour  of  a  tremendous  rain. 

I  remember  it  is  the  same  God  who  does  both, 
and  so  the  likeness  should  not  be  so  astonishing  after 
all.  These  are  the  revivals  the  writer  prefers  to  see. 
It  is  a  kind  of  Noah's  Deluge  that  sweeps  skeptics  off 
their  feet,  chokes  their  utterances,  drives  sinners  and 
backsliders  to  the  trees  and  hills,  while  the  Ark  of 
Salvation,  with  a  full  passenger  list  and  cargo,  sweeps 
victoriously  over  everything,  and  that  in  full  view  of 
everybody. 

No  one  needs  to  be  told  that  a  revival  is  going  on. 
Everybody  knows  it!  Its  gladsome  and  yet  solemn 
presence  is  being  felt  everywhere  in  the  community. 
God  has  granted  the  writer  the  privilege  of  witnessing 
many  of  this  order,  and  he  has  an  impression  that  he 
is  destined  to  see  many  more  before  his  work  is  ended. 

On  a  certain  morning  in  a  Southern  city,  we  were 


52  HEART  TALKS. 

standing  facing  an  audience  that  had  been  faithfully 
preached  to  for  four  or  five  days.  God  had  been,  and 
was  working  still  in  hearts,  but  there  was  no  unusual 
manifestation  of  his  presence.  A  hitch  or  clog  was 
felt  to  be  somewhere.  What  was  it,  and  where  was  it? 
Suddenly  a  young  lady  arose,  ?nd  confessed  to 
anger,  estrangement,  and  separation  from  her  mother, 
both  parties  being  members  of  the  Church.  With 
tears  dripping  down  her  cheeks,  she  begged  her  for- 
giveness, as  she  sat  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  build- 
^  ing.  They  met  midway  in  the  church  and  were  locked 
•  in  each  other's  arms,  while  handkerchiefs  were  busy 
in  the  congregation,  though  scarcely  a  sound  was  to 
be  heard  except  the  low  sobs  of  the  mother  and 
daughter  referred  to  above. 

In  the  midst  of  the  quiet,  subdued  feeling,  a  gen- 
/'tleman  walked  down  the  aisle,  and,  stopping  before  a 
fellow-member  of  the  Church,  requested  his  pardon 
for  some  act  of  the  past.  In  an  instant  the  two  men 
were  in  each  other's  arms.  Two  ladies  next  arose  in 
different  parts  of  the  house,  and  asked  the  pastor  to 
forgive  them  for  having  talked  about  him.  Both  burst 
into  tears  as  they  made  the  request,  and  he,  with  full 
eyes  himself,  went  to  them  and  gave  them  his  hand 
with  a  fervent  "God  bless  you."  Next  followed  two 
humble  confessions  from  two  of  the  brethren,  and  two 
most  touching  reconciliations,  when  suddenly,  like  a 


REVIVALS.  53 

flash  of  lightning,  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  upon  the  audi- 
ence, and  there  followed  a  scene  I  shall  never  be  able  / 
to  forget,  of  men  and  women  prostrated  under  the 
power  of  God,  some  helpless  on  the  floor,  some  weep- 
ing convulsively  with  faces  buried  in  their  hands,  some! 
on  their  feet,  laughing,  shouting,  and  clapping  their  \ 
hands,  and  every  soul  melted,  fired,  or  filled  with  the  \ 
Spirit  of  God. 

We  recall  a  second  meeting,  where  we  had  reached 
the  fifth  day  without  any  notable  break.  There  had 
been  a  few  souls  brought  into  the  light;  but  the 
"power"  had  not  come  down.  One  morning,  while 
preaching,  the  fire  fell,  the  wine  of  Pentecost  arrived, 
and  the  congregation  looked  like  drunken  people.  A 
man  leaped  to  his  feet,  crying  out  in  tones  that  thrilled 
every  heart,  "Jesus  has  come !  Jesus  has  come !"  The 
aisles  were  filled  with  laughing,  weeping,  shouting 
Christians,  a  number  of  them  walking  or  running  up 
and  down,  clapping  their  hands  and  praising  God. 
Sinners  were  struck  down  on  all  sides  as  if  by  invisible 
bolts.  Under  a  single  word  or  touch  of  the  hand  of 
the  Spirit-filled  Christians,  the  men  slipped  from  their 
seats  on  the  floor,  or  fell  down  wherever  they  were. 
God's  people  were  busy  all  over  the  house,  talking  to 
and  praying  with  the  penitents  and  seekers ;  while  the 
shouts  of  the  saved,  the  cries  and  wails  for  mercy, 
and  the  hallelujahs  of  the  workers  made  a  combina- 


54  HEART  TALKS. 

tion  of  sounds  astonishing  to  that  town,  fearful  to  hell 
and  its  hosts,  and  all  beautiful  and  delightful  to  angels 
and  the  redeemed  of  heaven.  About  twenty-five  souls 
were  converted  and  sanctified  at  this  single  service. 
A  third  remarkable  revival  broke  out  on  the  thir- 
teenth day  of  a  meeting  I  was  holding  in  a  city  in 
California.  There  had  been  a  number  of  souls  saved 
and  sanctified ;  but  what  I  called  the  "break"  had  not 
come.  One  Sunday  afternoon  I  was  preaching  in 
Peniel  Hall  to  an  audience  that  packed  both  floor  and 
galleries.  The  subject  was  the  Baptism  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  received  after  the  birth  of  the  Spirit,  a  second 
work  of  grace.  I  was  concluding  the  sermon,  while 
a  deep,  sweet  realization  of  the  presence  of  God  was 
on  my  heart  and  that  of  others,  when  suddenly  that 
indescribable  flash!  crack!  and  heavenly  downpour 
took  place.  In  other  words,  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  upon 
scores,  if  not  hundreds,  at  the  same  moment.  Many 
will  remember  the  amazing  scene.  W6  do  not  ques- 
tion that  a  couple  of  hundred  people  were  all  shouting 
and  praising  God  at  the  same  time.  We  saw  fully 
fifty  people  in  the  gallery  standing  on  their  feet,  wav- 
ing their  hands  and  crying,  "Glory!  Glory  to  God!" 
Down  on  the  lower  floor  the  scene  was  even  more 
wonderful.  Numbers  rushed  to  the  altar  without  bid- 
ding, a  man  fell  flat  on  his  face  in  the  main  aisle,  a 
woman  leaped  on  the  platform  and  began  exhorting, 


REVIVALS.  55 

while  in  the  midst  of  shining  faces,  clapping  hands, 
liberated  tongues,  singing,  shouting,  mingled  with 
wails  for  mercy  and  cries  of  victory — salvation  free 

'r 

and  full  flowed  like  a  torrent. 

"O  Lord,  send  the  power  just  now, 
O  Lord,  send  the  power  just  now, 
O  I<ord,  send  the  power  just  now, 
And  baptize  every  one." 


VL 

ALTAR  WORK. 

A?TER  the  sermon  should  be  given  the  call  for 
penitents  and  seekers  to  come  to  the  altar.  Not 
to  do  this  is  like  throwing  a  seine  in  the  river,  and 
neglecting  to  pull  it  in.  It  is  like  firing  cannon  on 
the  battle-field,  with  no  after-charge,  hand-to-hand  en- 
gagement, and  captures.  The  pulpit  is  the  battery, 
while  the  altar  is  the  storm-center  of  the  battle,  the 
place  where  the  greatest  struggles  are  made  and  the 
most  marvelous  victories  won.  Here  Satan  and  his 
dark  hosts  swoop  down  to  fight  the  working,  pray- 
ing bands  of  Christ,  to  darken  the  minds  and  sadden 
the  hearts  of  the  seekers,  and  to  resist  the  heavenly 
forces,  which,  while  invisible  to  mortal  eyes,  are  not 
the  less  present.  Here  Doubt,  Despondency,  and 
Despair  flap  their  black  wings  above  the  altar  battle- 
field, hover  over  the  prostrate  and  kneeling  forms, 
and  settle  like  vultures  to  feed  on  every  soul  which 
has  been  struck  down  by  the  devil.  Here  struggle 
angels  of  light  with  demons  of  darkness.  Here  the 
Holy  Ghost  descends  like  a  dove,  bringing  his  light, 
flashing  his  joy,  imparting  his  life,  and  at  the  same 
time  driving  back  the  powers  of  the  infernal  world. 


ALTAR   WORK.  $? 

Here  labor  God's  devoted  followers,  reasoning,  ad- 
vising, comforting,  cheering,  persuading,  stimulating, 
and,  in  a  word,  doing  everything  to  help  and  deliver 
souls  that  are  endeavoring  to  find  pardon  or  purity, 
regeneration  or  sanctification. 

It  would  not  be  possible  to  overestimate  the  value 
of  these  altar  services,  that  are  spiritual  battle-grounds 
where  sin  is  slain  and  the  devil  defeated;  they  are 
plains  of  glory,  where  dead  lives  are  quickened,  souls 
born  unto  God,  and  men  and  women  baptized  with 
the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire.  It  not  only  means  a 
present  triumph,  but  a  number  of  other  victories 
growing  out  of  it  and  to  follow  in  the  lives  and  labors 
of  those  who  were  restored,  renewed,  saved,  and  sanc- 
tified at  the  time.  When  the  "break,"  as  it  is  called, 
takes  place  at  the  altar,  it  means  that  the  revival  has 
arrived,  and  has  come  to  stay.  This  "break,"  or  sud- 
den fall  or  outpouring  of  the  Spirit,  does  not  occur 
in  the  beginning  of  the  meeting,  but  generally  about 
the  fourth  or  fifth  day.  In  some  instances  not  before 
the  tenth  or  fifteenth.  It  comes  as  it  did  at  Pentecost, 
after  days  of  patient,  faithful,  humble,  importunate 
waiting  on  God.  The  formal  and  fashionable  bowing 
down  for  a  few  minutes  at  the  altar,  attended  by  the 
regulation  number  of  prayers,  will  never  be  rewarded 
with  the  glories  of  opening  heavens,  the  descending 
Dove,  the  voice  of  God,  and  flames  of  holy  fire  falling 


58  HEART  TALKS. 

upon  the  soul.  It  is  the  protracted  upward  gaze,  the 
lingering,  the  continuous  asking,  which  brings  down 
the  Holy  Ghost. 

It  is  reserved  for  those  who  wait  and  labor  to  see 
the  most  wonderful  displays  of  divine  power.  They 
continue  to  humble  themselves,  to  supplicate,  wait, 
and  expect;  a  half-hour  passes  away,  then  an  hour; 
the  weak  in  faith  and  easily  discouraged  retire  from 
the  church  or  tabernacle  to  house  or  tent.  Those  who 
understand  the  altar  and  its  possibilities,  its  amazing 
fulcrum  power,  its  position  directly  under  the  Throne 
of  Grace,  still  linger.  Suddenly,  like  the  swift  light- 
ning-flash and  sharp  crack  of  thunder  is  followed  by 
a  downpour  of  rain,  so  suddenly  and  amazingly  the 
Spirit  falls,  and  showers  of  heavenly  grace  come  with 
mighty  outpour  upon  the  people.  Those  who  have 
retired  to  their  beds  hear  the  shouts,  outcries,  weep- 
ing, and  laughter,  blended  with  singing  and  prophesy- 
ing. Some  come  running  back  to  look  and  marvel 
at  the  scene  of  shining  faces,  clapping  hands,  and  leap- 
ing forms.  Only  those  who  have  patiently  waited  for 
the  spiritual  flash,  report,  and  downpour,  best  under- 
stand and  appreciate  such  a  scene  of  grace. 

It  requires  a  good  deal  to  be  a  successful  altar 
worker.  It  takes  courage  to  begin  the  work,  and 
deadness  to  human  opinion  to  carry  it  on.  It  de- 
mands patience,  wisdom,  gentleness,  mental  quick- 


ALTAR  WORK:.  59 

ness,  abundance  of  resource,  victorious  faith,  and 
power  with  God  to  run  the  altar  successfully.  John 
S.  Inskip  was  an  acknowledged  king  here.  He  could 
take  charge  at  a  moment,  when,  under  a  lifeless  ser- 
mon and  drooping  service,  all  hope  of  victory  would 
be  gone  from  the  most  sanguine,  and  lo !  in  five  min- 
utes a  great  triumph  would  be  seen,  and  salvation 
free  and  full  would  flow  like  a  mighty  tide. 

Not  all  are  as  gifted  and  as  wonderfully  qualified 
for  leadership  as  Inskip ;  but  all  can  be  effective,  and, 
under  God's  blessing,  have  victory  over  Satan,  sin, 
and  the  world  in  every  altar  battle. 

While  the  writer  has  seen  the  wisdom  of  certain 
methods,  the  power  attending  some  kinds  of  propo- 
sitions, yet  he  would  not  rely  on  them.  He  has  ob- 
served that  the  indispensable  preparation  and  quali- 
fication for  a  successful  altar-worker  is  a  calm,  strong 
faith,  and  an  overflowing  experience  of  holiness.  A 
man  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  carries  with  him  a  sphere 
of  spiritual  influence  which  is  soon  felt  at  the  altar. 
His  ringing  words,  shining  face,  buoyant  spirit,  per- 
fect confidence  in  and  reliance  upon  God,  inspires 
faith,  causes  the  seeker  to  pray  and  expect  and  finally 
to  receive  with  rapturous  heart  and  speech  the  bless- 
ings of  pardon  and  purity. 

Yet  even  the  spiritual  and  successful  worker  will 
find,  that  what  will  do  one  time  will  not  answer  at 


60  HEART  TALKS. 

another.  The  Spirit  is  a  free  Spirit,  and  will  not  work 
in  one  groove.  He  is  the  leader  himself,  and  would 
have  us  to  follow  him. 

Then,  again,  the  mental  and  spiritual  condition 
of  those  at  the  altar  is  not  always  the  same.  Some- 
times consecration  is  to  be  emphasized ;  at  other  times 
faith.  Sometimes  prayer  is  needed;  on  other  occa- 
sions the  seekers  need  to  be  urged  to  step  out  on  the 
promises.  On  some  occasions  singing  is  felt  to  be 
the  need ;  and  again  the  best  work  is  done  when  every- 
thing is  still,  and  souls  are  left  with  Christ,  to  deal 
with  him  personally  and  alone.  In  most  of  my  meet- 
ings I  gladly  use  all  the  workers  I  can  get,  and  have 
seen  God's  blessing  many  times  on  their  labors;  but 
in  one  of  my  services  I  called  off  the  workers,  and 
told  the  seekers  to  look  to  Christ  alone,  without  hu- 
man help.  They  did  so,  and  the  power  began  at  once 
to  come  down,  and  the  fire  to  fall,  and  there  ensued 
one  of  the  most  wonderful  scenes  of  grace  I  ever 
beheld. 

Singing  is  almost  invariably  used  in  getting  people 
to  the  altar ;  and  yet  one  night,  although  a  volume  of 
inspiring  song  filled  the  house,  so  few  were  coming 
forward,  that  I  requested  perfect  silence,  and  in  the 
stillness  which  followed  asked  all  who  wanted  pardon 
or  holiness  to  come  to  the  altar,  and  instantly  there 
was  a  rush.  We  never  know  at  first  which  method 


ALTAR   WORK.  6 1 

the  Spirit  is  going  to  bless,  and  so  have  to  follow  on 
softly,  looking  to  him  for  guidance.  He  will  always 
lead  if  we  are  true  to  him. 

This  very  difference  in  his  leadings  makes  us  to 
realize  our  dependence  upon  him  all  the  time,  and, 
while  using  the  means  of  grace  and  "methods,"  as 
we  call  them,  we  feel  that  all  are  in  vain  without  the 
Holy  Ghost. 

As  we  have  just  said,  we  can  never  tell  at  first 
what  the  Spirit  is  going  to  bless.  Some  days  every 
proper,  strong,  and  wise  effort  will  have  been  put 
forth,  and  there  has  been  no  answering  fire  from 
heaven,  when  suddenly,  on  the  utterance  of  a  few 
simple  words,  the  Holy  Ghost  will  fall. 

One  day  I  had  done  everything  I  could.  The  altar 
was  full,  and  not  a  soul  was  "getting  through,"  as  it 
is  called.  Wearied  in  mind  and  body,  I  arose,  and 
said: 

"It  is  just  the  question  whether  we  will  believe 
God  or  not.  He  has  said  certain  things,  and  left  them 
in  his  book.  Are  they  true  or  not?  He  says,  'The 
altar  sanctifieth  the  gift.'  Will  you  believe  it  or  not?" 

I  had  hardly  gotten  the  words  out  of  my  mouth, 
when  three  or  four  people  leaped  to  their  feet,  with 
illuminated  faces  and  rejoicing  in  the  blessing. 

It  seemed  to  me  that  I  had  said  the  same  thing 
repeatedly  and  much  more  strikingly  before;  but 


62  HEART  TALKS. 

somehow  the  Power  came  down  this  time,  and  the 
glory  of  God  filled  the  altar  and  the  people. 

In  a  meeting  one  night  in  Kentucky,  the  altar 
was  filled  with  men  and  women ;  but  not  a  soul  could 
be  converted  or  sanctified.  The  preacher  exhorted 
and  instructed,  the  brethren  prayed,  the  choir  and 
audience  sung,  but  everything  was  locked  up.  Sud- 
denly a  young  married  woman  from  the  country, 
dressed  plainly  in  calico  with  an  unadorned  straw  hat 
on  her  head,  and  her  baby  on  her  arm,  began  walking 
down  the  side  of  the  altar.  As  she  walked,  she  with 
her  disengaged  hand  would  touch  the  bowed  heads, 
or  gently  pat  the  shoulders  of  the  seekers.  As  she 
did  so,  she  was  singing  in  a  sweet,  unaffected  way : 

"Come,  O  come  to  me,  said  Jesus; 

Come,  and  I  will  give  you  rest; 
I  will  take  away  the  burden 

From  thy  heavy  laden  breast; 
No  matter  who  the  wand'rer, 

Nor  how  far  he's  gone  astray, 
Behold  whosoever  cometh, 

I  will  comfort  him  to-day." 

The  scene  which  followed  could  scarcely  be  cred- 
ited, if  it  had  not  been  witnessed  by  hundreds.  There 
was  something  in  the  very  touch  and  helplessness  of 
this  simple,  devout  woman,  which  the  Holy  Ghost 
wanted;  and  as  her  voice  sounded  and  hand  de- 
scended, the  Spirit  fell  first  upon  one  and  then  an- 
other, until,  leaping  to  their  feet,  the  altar  was  sur- 


ALTAR   WORK.  63 

rounded  by  a  now  laughing,  crying,  shouting  com- 
pany of  saved  and  sanctified  souls. 

As  an  illustration  of  good  sense  and  readiness  to 
change  and  adapt  one's  self  to  the  hour,  with  the  view 
of  extricating  and  delivering  a  meeting  that  was  at  a 
low  ebb,  I  recall  the  following  scene: 

The  preacher  had  labored  hard  in  the  pulpit  for 
an  hour  one  warm  night.  The  sermon  was  a  failure. 
Not  only  the  preacher  saw  it,  but  the  congregation 
felt  it.  The  preacher  sat  down  and  called  on  a  certain 
minister  to  conclude.  As  the  latter  arose,  a  number 
wondered  what  on  earth  he  proposed  doing,  and 
could  do.  Every  eye  was  on  him  as  he  came  slowly 
forward,  and  stood  quietly  looking  at  the  great  audi- 
ence before  him.  He  was  a  young  man,  and  had  a 
task  before  him  which  older  heads  might  well  have 
dreaded.  For  a  full  minute  he  stood  silent,  with  a 
solemn,  almost  abstracted  look,  and  then  began 
singing: 

"Oh,  'twas  love,  'twas  wondrous  love, 

The  love  of  God  to  me; 
It  brought  my  Savior  from  above, 
To  die  on  Calvary." 

At  once  the  vision  of  the  dying  Savior  was  brought 
up  to  the  minds  of  the  people,  and  that  with  an  im- 
mediate melting  effect.  Here  was  no  call  to  come 
to  the  altar,  no  covering  up  with  apologies  for  a  pul- 
pit failure ;  but  an  appeal  to  consider  the  love  of  God 


64  HEART  TALKS. 

in  the  form  of  his  dying  Son  hanging  on  the  cross. 
How  trifling  seemed  all  excuses  for  holding  back  from 
duty  and  God  with  that  crucified  figure  before  us ! 

The  hymn,  so  well  known,  went  on,  and  when  the 
singer  reached  the  last  stanza,  the  weeping  was  gen- 
eral, and  heads  bowed  all  over  the  building.  The 
preacher  then  lifted  his  hand,  and  said,  "All  who 
would  like  to  come  and  bow  down  at  the  altar  for 
pardon  and  sanctification,  can  do  so" — and  instantly 
there  was  a  rush  from  all  sides.  The  people  literally 
fell  down,  while  such  soul-sobs  and  cries  went  upward 
as  must  have  made  heaven  rejoice. 

But  still  a  greater  than  the  sudden  rescuer  of  a 
meeting  is  the  man  who  understands  the  "hanging 
on"  principle  and  spirit. 

All  who  have  been  much  at  protracted  and  camp 
meetings,  have  noticed  that  some  preachers  or  work- 
ers would  not  give  up  the  struggle  at  the  altar,  al- 
though ten,  eleven,  and  even  twelve  o'clock  at  night 
had  come  and  gone.  You  left  him  in  the  midst  of 
the  silent,  gloomy  line  of  penitents  and  seekers.  He 
could  not  or  would  not  go.  He  was  weary,  but  still 
remained  with  prayer,  exhortation,  instruction,  and 
song.  You  remember  him  leaning  against  a  post 
near  the  hour  of  midnight,  singing,  "Here  I  give  my 
all  to  Thee,"  and  punctuating  the  hymn  with  cries, 
"Have  you  done  it?"  "Are  you  sure  all  is  on  the 


ALTAR    WORK.  65 

altar?"  "Will  you  put  all  on  now?"  "Is  everything 
there?" 

Then  would  follow  again  the  stanza  beginning, 
"Here  I  give  my  all  to  Thee."  You  grew  wearied, 
and  withdrew.  In  the  distance  you  looked  back,  and 
there  he  was  still  laboring,  a  fatigued,  overworked 
man,  but  unwilling  to  give  up  until  victory  came.  He 
knew  God  was  near,  and  Christ  was  faithful.  He  had 
a  faith  worthy  of  the  name.  You  had  not  been  gone 
ten  minutes  when  the  fire  fell,  the  Spirit  answered  to 
the  blood,  and  salvation  rolled.  Over  twenty-five 
souls  were  converted  and  sanctified  that  night ! 

Some  of  my  meetings  have  been  remarkable  for 
the  weeping  spirit  of  the  people.  Many  nights  I  have 
beheld  the  altar  wet,  and  one  time  drip  with  the  tears 
rained  upon  it.  Men  may  say  what  they  will  against 
the  mourner' s-bench,  but  I  have  found  it  an  unspeak- 
able power  for  good  everywhere  I  go,  and  I  expect  to 
hold  fast  to  it  as  a  heaven-blessed  method  of  getting 
people  saved  and  sanctified.  I  find  it  becomes  a  wall 
between  the  man  and  his  old  life ;  it  is  a  cross  for  the 
old  self-life  to  die  upon,  and  a  battle-ground  where 
conflicts  between  three  worlds  rage,  and  where  des- 
tinies of  immortal  souls  are  decided.  O,  the  many, 
many,  many  hours  I  have  spent  at  the  altar  after  the 
sermon,  pressing  the  battle!  No  battle  can  compare 
for  a  moment  with  the  importance  and  results  of  one 
S 


66  HEART  TALKS. 

of  these  altar  fights.  It  is  a  fight,  indeed.  Angels 
from  above  and  devils  from  beneath  struggle  for  the 
possession  of  the  souls  at  the  altar.  Christ  is  present, 
the  Holy  Spirit  is  there,  and  Satan  is  on  hand.  Often- 
times there  are  few  workers  to  help  the  preacher,  while 
a  cold,  stiff  Church  membership  sit  back  and  look 
on  with  skeptical  remark  or  expressionless  faces. 
Great  is  the  temptation  of  the  evangelist  to  give  up 
at  such  times ;  but  he  who  holds  on  will  invariably  see 
victory.  Sometimes  it  comes  in  a  half-hour;  some- 
times it  requires  an  hour,  or  two  hours,  before  the 
rock  cracks,  the  dark,  oppressive  presence  is  lifted, 
and  the  power  and  the  glory  of  God  come  down. 
Very  many  are  the  victories  I  have  seen  at  the  altar, 
in  the  joy  of  which  I  would  forget  the  anguish  of  the 
long  waiting  and  exhausting  labor  about  the  wonder- 
ful altar  rail.  Preaching  a  sermon  is  easy  work  com- 
pared to  this  kind  of  service. 

I  have  been  often  amused  at  preachers  rushing  at 
the  beginning  of  one  of  these  great  altar  conflicts  to 
the  choir,  and  there  singing  most  lustily.  They 
wanted  to  be  the  brass  band  on  a  neighboring  hill 
and  furnish  music,  while  from  afar  they  watched  the 
battle.  More  than  once  I  have  told  them  that  they 
were  in  easy  position — that  it  is  far  easier  to  sing  in 
the  choir  than  work  in  the  altar.  It  takes  but  little 


ALTAR   WORK.  67 

knowledge  of  musical  notes  to  bring  one  into  a  sing- 
ing band ;  but  to  work  patiently  and  successfully  with 
people  at  the  altar  requires  a  number  of  things,  not 
only  knowledge  of  God,  and  a  close  walk  with  God, 
but  knowledge  of  self  and  knowledge  of  men.  Souls 
have  to  be  dealt  with  in  wisdom  and  love.  They  can 
not  be  forced,  but  must  be  led.  I  have  seen  people 
driven  from  the  altar  by  coarse  manners  and  offensive 
questions.  If  ever  we  need  good  sense,  tact,  patience, 
sympathy,  love,  firmness,  and  a  good  religious  experi- 
ence, it  is  in  the  altar  work.  I  have  not  even  men- 
tioned the  physical  exhaustion  connected  with  the 
work.  But  at  last,  when  the  victory  comes ;  when  the 
faithful  instruction  and  song  and  prayers  have  been 
blessed  of  God  and  done  their  work;  when  suddenly 
the  light  flashes  downward  from  the  skies,  rapture 
is  poured  into  penitential  souls,  devils  are  cast  out, 
spirits  are  made  free,  and  songs,  shouts,  and  praises 
abound;  when  joyful  weeping,  happy  laughter,  hand- 
shaking, embracing,  and  prophesying  in  the  Bible 
way  is  the  order  of  the  day,  then  it  is  seen  that  it  pays 
to  push  the  fight,  press  the  altar  work,  and  put  God 
to  the  test. 

A  single  moment  of  one  of  these  great  altar  vic- 
tories recompenses  us,  in  its  sweetness  and  glory,  for 
all  the  toils  of  hours  and  days  that  have  preceded  the 


68  HEART  TALKS. 

slow-coming  triumph.  The  pain  of  long  travail  is 
utterly  forgotten  in  the  joy  that  God's  truth  has  been 
born  again  into  the  world  in  the  shape  of  saved,  re- 
claimed, and  sanctified  sons  and  daughters.  Praise 
God  for  the  altar ! 


VII. 
THE  SECRET  OF  THE  LORD. 

FOR  fourteen  years  of  my  Christian  life  I  failed  to 
see  what  was  in  the  Bible  expression,  "The  secret 
of  the  Lord."  That  there  was  a  secret  the  Scripture 
taught  plainly  and  repeatedly.  The  veil  in  the  Taber- 
nacle and  Temple,  as  it  hid  a  certain  part  of  the  sanc- 
tuary from  all  eyes  but  one,  and  that  person  a  type  of 
Christ,  confirmed  the  fact.  Even  in  the  Holy  of 
Holies  the  two  angels  bent  over  the  ark  as  if  in  in- 
vestigation and  profound  study,  and  so  kept  promi- 
nent the  same  truth.  Later  still,  Paul  speaks  of  "the 
mystery  of  the  gospel  hid  for  ages,  but  revealed  in  the 
last  days  to  the  saints."  And  still  later,  John  writes 
about  a  white  stone  given  to  the  Overcomer  in  the 
Church,  and  in  it  a  new  name  written  which  no  man 
knoweth  saving  he  that  receiveth  it. 

For  quite  a  while  we  supposed  this  mystery  and 
secret  was  God's  unseen,  unrecognized  presence  in 
the  world.  After  that  we  thought  it  meant  Christ's 
incarnation.. 

We  were  driven  from  these  and  a  number  of  other 
false  conclusions  by  the  explicit  statement  of  God's 

Word,  which  at  first  we  did  not  notice,  that  the  white 

69 


TO  HEART  TALKS. 

stone  was  given  not  to  a  repenting  sinner,  but  to  an 
overcomer  in  the  Church.  Still  farther,  that  the  mys- 
tery of  the  gospel,  hid  for  ages,  was  revealed  in  the 
last  days  to  the  saints.  If  it  had  been  pardon  spoken 
of,  and  the  saving  knowledge  of  God,  it  would  have 
been  a  revelation  to  sinners,  and  not  saints.  Then  we 
remembered  that  pardon  had  been  known  from  the 
days  of  righteous  Abel  to  the  present  hour;  but  this 
peculiar  revelation  of  grace  made  to  saints  was  given 
in  the  "last  days." 

After  this  we  noticed  that  Paul  declared  plainly 
what  the  mystery  or  secret  was :  "Christ  formed  within 
us  the  hope  of  glory."  Not  Christ  for  us,  or  with  us, 
but  in  us.  Christ  not  appearing  to  a  sinner;  but 
Christ  entering  and  dwelling  in  the  Christian.  The 
Divine  Visitor  transformed  into  a  perpetual  abider. 

The  Savior  alluding  to  it  said  to  his  disciples  that 
on  the  condition  of  their  keeping  his  commandments 
He  would  come  into  them  and  take  up  His  abode 
with  them. 

The  experience  unquestionably  came  to  Paul,  who 
says  that  it  pleased  God  after  He  had  called  him  by 
His  grace  to  "reveal  his  Son  in  me."  We  all  know 
that  the  occurrence  near  Damascus  was  not  an  inward, 
but  an  outward,  revelation  of  Christ.  The  reference 
is  evidently  to  something  which  transpired  at  a  later 
period.  The  blessed  secret  is  that  there  is  a  precious, 


THE  SECRET  OF  THE  LORD.  Jl 

beautiful  experience  for  the  child  of  God.  It  is  for 
them  that  fear  him.  Sinners  do  not  fear  God.  The 
Bible  says  so.  There  is,  then,  a  holy  secret  to  be  im- 
parted to  the  Christian  if  he  is  willing  to  accept. 

There  are  several  facts  about  the  matter  which  im- 
press the  writer. 

One  is,  that  it  is  the  secret  of  the  Lord. 

This  explains  why  we  can  not  make  it  clear  to 
those  who  have  it  not.  If  a  certain  man  has  a  secret, 
no  one  else  but  himself  can  tell  it.  People  may  guess 
what  it  is,  but  can  not  know  assuredly  until  he  is 
pleased  to  declare  it. 

This  simple  fact  applied  to  the  spiritual  life  will 
at  once  explain  what  has  often  puzzled  the  sanctified 
man.  Filled  with  the  blessing,  yet  he  is  unable  of, 
and  by  himself,  to  make  the  experience  clear  to  one 
who  has  it  not. 

Letters  are  written,  sermons  preached,  books 
loaned,  and  conversations  are  held  in  vain.  The  face 
fails  to  light  up  with  appreciation,  and  the  mind  to 
grasp  the  meaning  of  what  has  been  said.  The  sanc- 
tified man  thought  that  all  he  had  to  do  was  to  run 
home  and  tell  his  family,  rush  around  .to  his  church 
and  pastor  and  proclaim  it,  and  all  would  immediately 
see,  agree,  be  glad,  and  seek  and  find.  To  his  amaze- 
ment the  countenances  of  his  hearers  remained  heavy 
and  cloudy,  while  some  were  grieved,  and  still  others 


72  HEART  TALKS. 

displeased.  He  told  them  carefully  how  he  had  ob- 
tained the  blessing,  and  thought  they  would  follow 
him ;  explained  what  it  did  for  the  soul,  and  supposed 
they  would  understand.  To  his  surprise  and  sorrow 
they  did  neither  one  nor  the  other,  and  he  was  left 
to  marvel. 

If  he  had  remembered  the  Scripture  he  would  not 
have  been  astonished  at  the  result.  God  had  prepared 
him  for  the  disappointment  in  the  words,  "I  will  give 
him  a  white  stone,  and  in  the  white  stone  a  new  name 
written,  which  no  man  knoweth  saving  he  that  re- 
ceiveth  it."  And  still  again  in  the  words,  "The  secret 
of  the  Lord."  It  is  the  Lord's  hidden  truth,  and  it 
takes  him  to  reveal  it. 

A  second  fact  is,  that  there  is  a  certain  attitude 
or  position  needful  to  secure  a  secret. 

When  one  concludes  to  repose  a  confidence  in  an- 
other, he  draws  the  proposed  confidant  aside  and 
whispers,  while  the  one  thus  trusted  bends  the  head 
and  gives  undivided  attention  to  the  utterance  which 
a  little  distance  makes  inaudible. 

So  in  securing  this  secret  from  the  Lord,  it  is  not 
to  be  obtained  in  a  careless  way.  There  is  the  draw- 
ing aside  from  the  crowd,  and  an  attitude  of  the  soul 
which  corresponds  to  what  is  seen  when  we  behold 
the  bent  head,  rapt  face,  and  fixed  attention  of  the 
hearer  to  all  that  is  being  said. 


THE  SECRET  OF  THE  LORD.          73 

Here  again  we  see  the  failure  of  many  Christians 
in  the  obtainment  of  the  blessed  experience.  They  do 
not  observe  the  conditions  which  are  inexorably  de- 
manded of  those  who  would  enter  within  the  veil.  It 
is  not  truer  than  if  a  man  fails  to  draw  near  and  listen 
intently  to  what  is  whispered  to  him  in  a  noisy  street, 
he  fails  to  get  the  intended  information;  than,  if  a 
person  neglects  to  wait  in  a  certain  manner  upon  God, 
he  will  never  know  the  secret  of  the  Lord,  will  never 
be  wiser  concerning  the  second  work  of  grace  in  the 
soul.  There  are  just  as  fixed  laws  in  the  spiritual  as 
in  the  natural  world.  Happy  is  the  man  who  obeys 
them.  As  a  farmer  does  not  and  can  not  make  a 
good  crop  by  laziness  or  an  accident,  so  men  do  not 
rise  and  shine  in  the  character  world,  are  not  caught 
up  into  great  heights  of  the  love  and  knowledge  of 
God,  by  a  stumbling  chance  or  by  waiting  with  listless 
eyes  and  idle  hands  for  something  to  happen. 

If  the  soul  would  see  deep  into  the  mysteries  of 
heaven  and  grace,  the  vision  will  not  come  in  a  hap- 
hazard way.  The  wonderful  experience  of  Daniel  cost 
him  weeks  of  lonely  prayer  and  fasting  on  the  banks 
of  the  river  Hiddekel.  It  took  all  that  was  meant  in 
the  words  "exiled  to  Patmos"  to  open  the  heavens  to 
John.  The  baptism  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  fire 
came  at  the  end  of  ten  days  of  ardent  prayer  and  pa- 


74  HEART  TALKS. 

tient,  faithful  waiting  on  God  in  an  upper  room,  away 
from  the  busy  streets  and  talking  circles  of  Jerusalem. 

A  man  who  prays  three  or  four  hours  daily,  is  felt 
by  others  to  be  ahead  in  some  important  particulars. 
The  preacher  who  has  been  on  his  knees  an  hour  in 
humble,  tearful  waiting  on  God,  begins  in  his  sermon, 
not  with  his  audience,  but  beyond  and  above  them 
in  tenderness  of  heart,  clearness  of  spiritual  vision, 
and  conscious  strength  of  soul;  moreover,  the  audi- 
Lence  feels  it. 

Look  where  we  will,  the  faithful  working  of  this 
spiritual  law  is  beheld.  He  who  turns  aside  sees  the 
flaming  bush,  and  talks  with  God.  He  who  waits  on 
the  Lord  renews  his  strength,  and  mounts  up  on 
eagle's  wings.  He  who  wraps  the  mantle  about  his 
head  at  the  entering  in  of  the  cave  and  listens,  will 
hear  the  still,  small  voice.  And  he  who  will  lay  all 
on  the  altar,  and  patiently,  believingly,  and  prayer- 
fully look  upward,  will  be  rewarded  by  the  descend- 
ing fire  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the  blessed  secret  of 
the  Lord. 

It  is  simply  absurd  for  a  man  to  say  there  is  no 
such  secret,  when  he  refuses  to  comply  with  the  con- 
ditions of  obtaining  the  revelation,  and  it  is  lost  time 
on  our  part  to  listen  to  their  ridicule,  arguments, 
doubts,  and  denials. 

A  third  fact  connected  with  the  secret  of  the  Lord 


THE  SECRET  OF  THE  LORD.          75 

is  the  remarkable  effect  it  has  upon  the  person  who 
has  been  put  in  its  possession  and  enjoyment. 

The  writer  has  seen  an  individual  tell  another  a 
secret,  and  instantly  saw  the  face  light  up,  a  pleased 
look  or  smile  overspread  the  countenance,  and  an 
almost  indescribable  expression  spring  in  the  eye,  that 
came  from  the  consciousness  of  a  new  and  valued  pos- 
session. 

So  we  have  been  impressed  with  the  people  of 
God  who  obtained  this  secret.  It  was  their  smiling 
looks,  shining  faces,  and  speaking  eyes  that  first 
deeply  impressed  us  with  the  distinctiveness  and 
superiority  of  the  gift  of  grace  they  were  enjoying. 

The  hard  lines  of  the  face  had  been  changed  into 
curves  of  pleasing  repose;  the  lips,  even  when  not 
speaking,  seemed  to  declare  inward  rest ;  the  eyes  had 
a  quiet,  sunny  look,  like  unto  deep,  clear  springs ;  and 
the  voice  possessed  a  note  of  gladness,  and  at  times 
an  exultant  ring,  which  impressed  the  dullest  spiritual 
hearer. 

It  was  the  beaming  light  and  joy  of  this  secret 
which  made  the  Irish  gaze  fascinated  on  Fletcher's 
face,  when  they  did  not  understand  a  word  that  he 
uttered.  They  said  there  was  heaven  in  the  man's 
countenance. 

Such  a  beautiful  look  the  writer,  when  a  young 
preacher,  saw  on  the  face  of  a  lady  who  had  been 


76  HEART  TALKS. 

an  invalid  seventeen  years.  For  all  that  weary  time 
she  had  sat  in  a  large  chair,  and  crippled  and  stiffened 
with  rheumatism,  unable  to  do  anything  to  help  her- 
self or  others,  quietly  waited  for  death  to  relieve  her 
from  her  acute  sufferings.  Six  years  were  added  to 
the  seventeen,  and  still,  with  a  patient  smile  on  her 
lips,  and  that  holy  restful  light  in  her  face,  she  waited 
for  God  to  say  it  was  enough  ajid  call  her  home.  Of 
the  hundreds  who  visited  her,  all  marked  the  pure, 
unearthly  joy  which  filled  her,  and  that  was  not  only 
seen  in  the  eye,  and  heard  in  the  voice,  but  felt  in  her 
presence.  The  secret  of  the  Lord  kept  her  not  only 
uncomplaining,  but  joyful  through  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury of  suffering. 

She  finally  died,  and  they  buried  her,  sitting  in 
her  invalid  chair,  which  she  had  transformed  into  a 
throne,  and  in  which  she  had  ruled  over  many  hearts 
as  a  crowned  queen  among  the  daughters  of  God. 
She  died  with  the  sweet,  old-time  smile  on  her  lips, 
and  was  buried  with  it  still  resting  on  her  face.  There 
she  is  under  the  ground  to-day,  sitting  in  her  throne- 
chair,  and  waiting  for  the  coming  of  her  Lord,  whose 
voice  will  make  her  spring  from  the  dust  to  meet  him 
in  the  air,  and  whose  blessed  secret  kept  her  strong, 
patient,  and  victorious  through  many  years  of  as  great 
pain  and  sore  trouble  as  almost  ever  fell  to  the  lot  of 
any  of  God's  children. 


VIII. 

WITHOUT  REPUTATION. 

'T'HE  writer  once  confounded  reputation  with  char- 
*•  acter  in  the  religious  life.  The  two  are  very 
different.  Reputation  is  what  men  think  of  us,  and 
character  is  what  we  are  in  the  sight  of  God.  The 
first  is  what  we  appear  to  be;  the  second  is  what  we 
really  are.  The  one  is  a  pleasant  possession,  but  not 
essential;  the  other  is  blessed,  and  we  must  have  it 
to  stand  before  and  live  with  God.  We  draw  some 
reflections  from  the  Scriptural  words,  "of  no  repu- 
tation." 

One  is,  that  it  is  possible  to  have  reputation  with- 
out character. 

This  springs  from  the  fact  that  people  can  not 
read  one  another's  hearts,  and  are  ignorant  of  each 
other's  lives.  The  public  life  may  be  one  thing,  and 
the  private  life  another.  A  man  may  have  a  street 
face  and  a  home  face,  and  the  two  not  agree.  As  the 
story  goes,  he  may  be  a  salmon  in  his  own  community, 
and  a  codfish  in  a  distant  city  where  he  has  not  a 
single  acquaintance.  The  countenance  may  be  affable, 
the  words  pleasant,  and  the  thoughts  dark  and  foul. 

Hence  it  is  that  people  are  in  high  places  to-day 

77 


78  HEART  TALKS. 

who  would  not  be  if  they  were  known.  The  Bible 
prepares  us  for  great  shocks  of  surprise  at  the  Day 
of  Judgment,  where  reputation  shall  be  utterly  ig- 
nored, and  character  alone  shall  be  demanded.  Now 
and  then  sudden  exposures  in  public  and  social  life 
furnish  us  brief  but  powerful  commentaries  on  these 
solemn  allusions  of  the  Scripture. 

A  lady  was  once  speaking  to  me  about  her  dead 
husband,  saying  that  he  detested  hypocrites,  and  was 
filled  with  a  spirit  of  honesty  and  honor  himself.  And 
yet  we  knew,  and  had  the  proof,  of  her  husband  being 
a  petty  thief.  Only  a  few  of  us  possessed  the  circum- 
stance, and  kept  it  secret.  The  man's  ardent  denun- 
ciations of  sin  sounded  very  oddly  to  the  little  group 
who  really  knew  him.  The  community  did  not  know. 
He  died  with  a  good  reputation,  but  without  the  char- 
acter many  supposed  he  had.  A  life  superstructure 
had  been  erected  without  a  foundation. 

At  another  time  a  prominent  lady,  apologizing 
to  us  for  her  husband's  absence  from  Church,  said, 
"But  he  is  ripe  for  heaven." 

We  brooded  over  the  speech  of  this  unsuspecting 
woman,  and  it  actually  became  oppressive  as  we  re- 
membered that  not  less  than  a  dozen  people  possessed 
facts  which  were  sufficient  to  blight  and  blast  her 
marital  happiness  forever. 

Great    will    be    the    astonishment    of    families, 


WITHOUT  REPUTATION.  79 

Churches,  communities,  and  multitudes  on  the  Day 
of  Days,  when  the  real  man  and  woman  are  brought  to 
light,  and  God  shows  the  difference  between  reputa- 
tion and  character. 

Again,  it  is  possible  to  have  character  without 
reputation. 

Paul  tells  us  that  Christ  had  none,  that  he  was 
"of  no  reputation."  The  same  fact  is  brought  out 
in  his  reference  to  the  disciples  of  the  Lord.  The 
Savior  himself  said  that  all  manner  of  evil  should  be 
spoken  about  them;  they  would  be  cast  out  of  syna- 
gogues and  put  to  death ;  and  people  in  visiting  those 
things  upon  them  would  think  they  were  doing  God 
service. 

No  one  can  question  the  fact  of  their  possession  of 
religious  character,  and  yet  they  were  without  repu- 
tation. 

So  was  Luther  in  his  day,  and  Wesley  in  his  time : 
they  were  jeered,  ridiculed,  denounced,  and  perse- 
cuted all  through  life;  the  churches  were  closed  to 
them;  ministers  and  magistrates  united  to  condemn 
and  oppose  them;  and  yet  they  were  men  filled  with 
the  Holy  Ghost,  died  in  the  faith,  and  went  to  heaven. 
These  facts  ought  to  bring  many  of  God's  servants 
great  comfort  to-day.  Shut  out  from  Churches,  dis- 
counted in  certain  social  and  ecclesiastical  circles, 
struck  at  and  condemned  in  religious  and  secular 


80  HEART  TALKS. 

papers,  yet  it  is  possible  to  have  not  only  a  conscience 
without  offense,  but  to  be  the  temple  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  filled  with  the  fullness  of  God.  It  is  pos- 
sible to  have  one's  stock  very  low  on  earth,  and  that 
same  religious  stock  be  very  high  in  heaven.  It  is 
possible  to  possess  a  pure  heart,  a  genuine  Christian 
character,  and  yet  have  the  Church,  as  we  see  it  in 
some  places  to-day,  ashamed  and  afraid  of  us,  and 
downright  opposed  to  us. 

So,  just  as  one  can  have  reputation  without  char- 
acter, this  strange,  old  world  furnishes  the  equally 
remarkable  spectacle  of  a  person  having  character 
without  any  reputation. 

Again,  it  is  possible  to  have  no  reputation,  and 
still  be  happy. 

The  fact  is,  it  is  very  hard  to  be  happy  in  a  con- 
tinuous way  with  what  is  termed  a  reputation.  We 
have  studied  the  cases  of  orators,  musicians,  authors, 
and  all  kinds  of  celebrities  and  prominent  folks,  and 
we  have  discovered  that,  as  a  rule,  they  are  the  un- 
easiest  of  people.  A  man  with  a  reputation  on  his 
hands  has  an  elephant  to  take  care  of.  So  much  for 
its  cumbersomeness.  Again,  it  reminds  me  of  an  in- 
valid, a  baby  at  night,  and  a  costly  pet,  all  three  in 
one.  It  needs  a  vast  amount  of  attention,  and  in  its 
exactions  is  perfectly  tyrannical.  It  matters  not  how 
well  its  possessor  "spoke  his  piece"  before,  he  must 


WITHOUT  REPUTATION.  8 1 

excel,  and  more  than  excel  every  time,  and  delight 
and  astonish  everybody,  or  the  man  is  gloomy,  irri- 
table, and  miserable. 

Apply  this  spirit  to  the  ministerial,  ecclesiastical, 
oratorical,  or  any  other  kind  of  reputation,  and  behold 
the  result.  I  knew  a  man  once  whose  great  pride  as 
a  preacher  was  in  having  answered  the  roll-call  of  his 
Conference  over  thirty  years  without  a  single  break. 
To  have  failed  on  the  thirty-third  time  would  have 
given  him  as  much  anguish  as  the  commission  of  a 
sin.  It  was  a  kind  of  annual  misery  with  him. 

A  layman  boasted  that  he  had  sat  forty  years  in 
one  place  in  the  church.  He  had  also  remained  in  the 
same  spot  in  other  respects.  His  pride  took  hold  of 
the  first  fact.  Here  was  his  reputation.  For  any  one 
even  to  attempt  to  take  his  seat  angered  him.  His 
reputation  cost  him  a  good  deal  of  mental  peace,  as 
all  frequently  saw. 

There  is  a  kind  of  pseudo-religious  reputation  born 
of  the  fact  of  years  of  church  attendance,  identifi- 
cation with  various  kinds  of  Church  work,  a  cordial 
reception  in  the  best  ecclesiastical  circles,  and  a  stand- 
ing well  with  Church  functionaries  and  prominent 
people.  This,  like  the  rest,  is  filled  with  disquietude, 
and  demands  to  be  recognized,  petted,  patted,  and 
generally  coddled,  smiled  upon,  and  praised.  It  is  full 
of  fears  of  losing  its  peculiar  ground,  and  others  tak- 


82  HEART  TALKS. 

ing  its  place.  To  lay  all  this  on  the  altar  is  one  of  the 
hardest  of  spiritual  performances,  and  is  the  explana- 
tion why  so  few  of  that  class  of  Christians  obtain  the 
blessing  of  sanctification. 

Just  a  glance  over  the  list  hastily  given  is  sufficient 
to  convince  the  thoughtful  that  to  get  rid  of  reputa- 
tion would  be  a  relief  all  around,  especially  to  the  man 
who  has  groaned  under  the  burden  for  months  or 
years. 

The  fact  is,  that  the  happiest  people  the  writer 
ever  knew  were  those  who  had  lost  all  they  had  in 
this  line.  With  this  loss  had  gone  Church  patronage, 
social  honor,  a  certain  kind  of  public  reverence  and 
attention,  together  with  the  estimation  formerly  en- 
tertained of  their  good  sense  and  general  levelheaded- 
ness. And  yet  these  same  people  were  bubbling  over 
continually  with  a  joy  beyond  all  language  to  de^ 
scribe.  All  sanctified  people  have  had  third  and  sev- 
enth heaven  experiences  here,  and  it  is  with  difficulty 
that  we  restrain  our  pen  at  this  point. 

Still  again,  it  is  possible  to  have  no  reputation, 
and  be  very  useful. 

We  sometimes  wonder  that  so  many  overlook  the 
remarkable  truth  that  the  individuals  who  have 
wrought  most  spiritual  good  for  this  world,  had  no 
ecclesiastical  reputation  during  their  lives.  It  was 
after  they  were  dead  that  their  detractors  and  opposers 


WITHOUT  REPUTATION.  83 

took  time  to  read  what  they  had  written  and  observe 
their  works,  and  then  the  world  saw  that  angels  had 
been  in  their  midst,  and  they  knew  it  not;  that  God 
himself  had  spoken  to  them  through  human  lips,  and 
they  had  failed  to  know  and  receive  him. 

It  does  not  require  reputation  to  achieve  great 
things  for  humanity.  The  Bible  proves  this  in  the 
record  of  the  disciples,  and  history  confirms  the 
thought  in  the  deeds  of  Luther,  Wesley,  Booth,  and 
a  host  of  others.  The  fact  is,  that  reputation  seems 
to  be  in  the  way  of  workers.  It  clogs,  cumbers,  hin- 
ders, embarrasses,  paralyzes,  and  in  many  ways  keeps 
one  from  doing  for  God,  and  especially  doing  his  best 
for  God. 

It  is  well  to  have  nothing  to  distract  and  absorb 
us  when  Christ  calls  us  to  labor  for  him ;  it  is  well  to 
have  both  hands  empty  for  him.  If  we  have  other 
gods  and  idols  of  our  own,  even  though  that  idol  be 
only  reputation,  we  will  never  be  and  do  for  the  Sa- 
vior what  he  desires.  Such  a  man  can  not  afford  to 
speak  at  every  providential  call  because  he  has  an 
oratorical  fame  to  support  and  perpetuate ;  or  another 
person  will  not  engage  in  mission  or  slum  work  be- 
cause a  certain  social  prestige  is  lost  by  such  a  life. 
So  the  soul-stirring  and  life-saving  message  was  not 
delivered,  and  the  diamond  in  the  gutter  was  not 
found  and  lifted  up. 


84  HEART  TALKS. 

We  know  of  a  city  where  there  are  seven  missions, 
and  they  are  all  run  by  people  who  have  lost  their 
ecclesiastical  or  Church  reputation.  Not  a  denomi- 
nation in  the  place,  nor  all  the  denominations  com- 
bined, have  been  sufficient  to  run  a  single  mission; 
and  yet  here  is  a  body  of  people  laughed  at,  despised, 
and  in  a  sense  ostracized  and  tabooed,  running  seven 
distinct  works. 

A  concluding  thought  is  this,  that  there  is  going 
to  be  a  great  revolution  of  opinion  and  judgment  at 
the  Last  Day. 

People  who  stood  very  high  on  the  earth  will 
stand  very  low  before  the  Bar  of  Christ  when  all  hearts 
shall  be  known.  A  great  many  "big  men,"  so-called 
in  this  world,  will  be  found  to  be  exceedingly  small 
under  the  marvelous  light  of  eternity.  The  sudden 
shrinkage  of  individuals  who  were  admired,  quoted, 
and  even  feared  on  earth,  will  occasion  one  of  the 
most  shocking  sensations  of  the  Judgment-day.  Men 
will  never  cease  to  talk  about  those  dreadful  collapses 
and  downfalls,  and  which  were  long  ago  predicted 
by  Christ  under  the  figure  of  the  house  built  on  a 
foundation  of  sand. 

On  the  other  hand,  some  people  who  were  over- 
looked, or  who  were  discounted,  despised,  laughed  at, 
and  rejected,  will  loom  up  in  such  moral  grandeur, 
such  mighty  proportions  of  spiritual  attainment,  that 


WITHOUT  REPUTATION.  85 

the  astonishment  will  be  even  greater  here  than  the 
amazement  already  described. 

We  knew  quite  a  wealthy  man  who  recently  died. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South.  Out  of  a  large  fortune  he  gave  thirty  dollars 
a  year  to  the  support  of  the  Church,  and  was  bitterly 
opposed  to  missions,  especially  those  in  the  foreign 
field.  Yet  this  man  had  a  great  ascendency  in  his 
Church.  Perhaps  court  was  paid  to  him  because  of 
what  was  hoped  he  might  yet  do.  But  he  did  noth- 
ing. He  died  without  doing  anything.  The  outside 
world  did  not,  and  does  not,  know  the  littleness  of  his 
Christian  and  Church  life.  They  were  much  im- 
pressed with  his  imposing  form  and  rolling  guttural 
speech.  They  thought  he  was  a  pillar  in  the  Church, 
when  he  was  only  a  sleeper.  They  imagined  that  he 
supported  the  Church,  when  he  only  occasionally  en- 
tertained the  bishops. 

The  sight  of  this  man  shrinking,  drawing  in,  draw- 
ing up,  drying  up,  and  generally  going  to  nothing 
under  the  solemn,  silent,  searching  gaze  of  the  Son 
of  God  will  be  one  of  the  sickening  and  horrifying 
visions  of  the  Day  of  Judgment. 

The  writer  is  acquainted  with  a  woman  who,  filled 
with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  burning  up  with  the  love  of 
souls,  started  with  her  slender  means  a  little  mission 
in  one  of  our  large  cities.  She  was  ridiculed,  slan- 


86  HEART  TALKS. 

dered,  and  struck  at  in  many  ways.  She  bore  all 
silently  and  patiently,  founded  a  Sabbath-school  of 
fifty  children  picked  up  from  the  street,  and  with  her 
simple  revival  services  among  people  who  never  went 
to  Church,  saw  twenty  clear  conversions  in  three 
months.  This  was  not  a  large  number,  but  it  hap- 
pened to  be  a  larger  average  than  that  of  a  large 
Church  of  several  million  members,  which  reported 
sixteen  thousand  conversions  for  one  year's  work. 
The  denomination  referred  to  has  seventeen  thousand 
preachers  on  its  roll ;  so  there  were  a  thousand  preach- 
ers who  did  not  have  a  single  convert.  As  for  the 
three  million  members,  according  to  figures,  they  did 
nothing.  The  woman  I  referred  to  brought  twenty 
souls  to  Christ  in  three  months.  As  examined  in  a 
comparative  way,  her  work  begins  to  grow  upon  one. 
Then,  when  we  remember  what  the  Savior  said  about 
the  worth  of  a  soul,  her  achievement  was  great  in- 
deed. In  addition,  when  we  notice  that  in  the  line  of 
soul-saving  she  did  the  work  of  eighty  preachers,  the 
whole  thing,  in  a  strange,  solemn  way,  prepares  us  for 
the  astounding  scenes  of  the  Day  of  Reward  and 
Doom. 

Aladdin  saw  a  small  copper  lamp  or  vessel  lying 
on  the  seashore  near  him.  As  he  looked  upon  it  a 
thread  of  smoke  began  ascending  from  the  vessel,  and 
spreading  and  enlarging  until  it  became  a  great  cloud, 


WITHOUT  REPUTATION.  87 

and  then  assumed  the  shape  of  a  gigantic  geni.  After 
a  while  the  shape  disappeared,  the  cloud  of  smoke  re- 
turning with  steadily  diminishing  proportions  to  the 
diminutive  metal  lamp  at  Aladdin's  feet. 

The  fictitious  scene  becomes  all  powerful  when 
applied  to  the  occurrences  at  the  Judgment.  So  will 
we  see  the  swagger,  strut,  puff,  and  swell  of  a  mere 
reputation  steadily  disappear  before  our  eyes.  It  may 
once  have  filled  the  land  and  overshadowed  thou- 
sands ;  and  now  behold !  It  is  lost  in  a  poor,  morally 
shriveled  creature  who  cowers  at  the  feet  of  Christ. 

And,  thank  God !  we  shall  also  see  the  other  sight. 
We  will  behold  coming  forth  to  public  view  from  some 
humble,  despised,  and  wronged  one  of  earth,  the 
beauty,  grace,  glory,  dignity,  and  majesty  of  a  Christ- 
like  nature  and  life.  It  can  be  hidden  and  kept  down 
and  shut  in  no  longer.  It  is  God's  own  work  wrought 
in  the  face  of  Satanic  hate  and  every  human  discour- 
agement. It  is  something  to  rejoice  over  and  to  praise 
God  for.  And  it  is  a  piece  of  justice  done  to  suffering 
man  as  well.  And  so  the  glory  of  that  life,  so  long 
bound  in  with  hardship  and  thrust  into  obscurity, 
shall  stream  forth  at  last,  and  fill  the  firmament  of  ob- 
servation. 


IX. 

THE  COMFORT  IN  TEMPTATION. 

T^EMPTATION  is  anything  but  a  joyous  experi- 
•*•  ence.  Whether  it  is  realized  as  a  cloud  upon  the 
spirit,  or  a  violent  attack  upon  faith  and  love,  or  an 
assault  through  the  appetites,  it  is  something  which 
no  Christian  desires.  It  is  a  moral  necessity  in  this 
world,  so  we  are  told,  and  believe,  and  also  discover; 
but  we  are  not  the  less  delighted  that  in  heaven  we 
will  feel  its  power  no  more  forever. 

As  temptation  is  a  heavy-hearted  experience,  the 
caption  of  this  article,  "Comfort  in  Temptation," 
would  strike  the  reader  at  first  as  contradictory.  But 
one  is  as  true  as  the  other;  in  fact,  the  apostle  tells 
us  to  count  it  all  joy  when  we  fall  into  divers  tempta- 
tions. So  the  two  can  go  together;  we  can  be  in 
heaviness  through  manifold  trials  of  this  kind,  and 
yet  be  joyful. 

We,  however,  are  not  referring  in  this  article  to 
the  joy  of  which  St.  James  speaks.  The  "Comfort" 
we  are  writing  about  springs  from  other  facts,  and 
we  are  glad  to  bring  such  consolation  to  those  who 
are  tempted  and  tried  by  the  great  adversary  of  their 

souls. 

88 


THE  COMFORT  IN  TEMPTATION.  89 

The  first  comfort  is  clearly  stated  in  the  Bible  in 
the  words,  "There  hath  no  temptation  taken  you  but 
such  as  is  common  to  man." 

If  there  is  not  strength  and  consolation  in  this 
declaration  to  the  tried  soul,  then  we  know  nothing 
about  human  nature.  To  be  lost  in  a  vast  wilderness 
is  a  paralyzing  experience ;  but  to  see  signs  of  human 
life  here  and  there  would  immediately  cause  hope  to 
spring  up  in  the  heart,  and  strength  into  the  limb. 
The  successful  climber  of  the  dizzy  heights  of  the 
Matterhorn  brought  a  great  company  of  people  to  do 
what  otherwise  they  never  would  have  had  the  nerve 
to  have  accomplished.  After  Columbus  had  gone 
across  the  dreaded  Atlantic,  and  thereby  dissipated  its 
superstitious  terrors,  there  came  a  host  of  adventurers 
on  his  track  with  great  cheerfulness  and  assurance. 
The  moral  effect  of  having  been  preceded  by  another 
in  some  line  of  toil  and  difficulty  is  tremendous.  What 
man  has  done  and  endured  can  be  borne  and  accom- 
plished again  by  man.  This  is  the  reasoning  of  men, 
and  the  very  thought  is  inspiration  and  life  itself. 

This  is  the  same  principle  of  comfort  embraced 
in  the  statement  that  the  dark,  sad  temptations  of  life 
which  try  us  so  severely  are  not  peculiar  to  us,  but 
are  common  to  man.  Others  have  wrestled  with  and 
conquered  these  things  of  the  spiritual  life  which  are 
now  dismaying  us;  others  have  trod  these  deserts,  or 


90  HEART  TALKS. 

plowed  these  seas,  and  found  a  San  Salvador  beyond. 
In  spite  of  long  sailing  there  has  been  land,  and  land- 
ing, and  coming  forth,  and  victory  for  others,  and  the 
same  can  be  for  us. 

The  desolate  state  of  the  heart ;  the  lonely,  friend- 
less feeling  of  the  soul ;  the  wave  of  sickening  doubt ; 
the  suggestion  that  friends  have  ceased  to  love  you, 
that  health  will  fail,  and  usefulness  cease,  and  the 
poorhouse  be  at  last  your  refuge — all  these  are  influ- 
ences and  whispers  which  the  accuser  of  God  and  of 
his  brethren  has  injected  into  many  a  faithful  heart 
that  is  now  in  rapture  near  the  throne,  striking  a 
golden  harp  or  waving  a  palm  of  eternal  victory. 

Under  temptation,  one's  rapturous  feelings  go 
down;  so  did  those  of  the  holy  Madame  Guyon.  A 
great  fear  arises  as  to  divine  deliverance  from  trouble ; 
the  saintly  Payson  went  through  the  same  experience. 
The  heart  sinks  for  a  while  under  a  lonely  trial ;  so  did 
Paul,  who,  when  he  met  friends  at  last  at  the  Three 
Taverns,  "thanked  God  and  took  courage." 

The  most  pious  and  influential  preacher  in  one 
of  our  Southern  States  said  that  once  for  fully  thirty 
minutes  he  was  conscious  of  a  violent  inward  urging 
to  be  profane.  He  said  his  soul  recoiled  in  horror 
from  it,  that  he  recognized  the  dark  influences  as  the 
work  of  the  devil,  but  that  the  distressing  movement 
was  there,  nevertheless. 


THE  COMFORT  IN  TEMPTATION.  QI 

The  thought  of  suicide  as  an  escape  from  sickness 
and  trouble  is  purely  Satanic,  and  yet  it  has  come  to 
the  best  of  people,  who  have  resisted  it  with  proper 
promptness  and  disapproval,  knowing  full  well  it  came 
from  Satan,  and  that  it  stood  for  a  sin  which,  from  its 
very  nature,  was  unpardonable. 

It  is  certainly  a  great  mental  relief  in  the  midst 
of  sore  experiences,  when  Satan  would  have  us  believe 
they  are  peculiar  to  us,  thereby  making  us  feel  we 
are  the  worst  of  all  God's  creatures — I  say  it  is  blessed 
to  the  soul  to  hear  God's  Word  affirming,  "There  hath 
no  temptation  taken  you  but  such  as  is  common  to 
man."  Such  a  statement  upon  the  part  of  heaven  is 
bound  to  bring  the  sweetest  consolation  to  the  soul. 

A  second  comfort  in  temptation  is  found  in  the 
words  that,  "God  is  faithful,  who  will  not  suffer  you 
to  be  tempted  above  that  ye  are  able." 

According  to  these  words  there  is  no  excuse  for 
men  who  fall  under  temptation.  The  temptation  was 
not  greater  than  they  could  have  borne.  This  is  God's 
own  declaration,  and  we  believe  God. 

Those  who  go  down  under  the  assault  of  the 
Evil  One,  invariably  begin  to  whine  and  whimper 
about  it,  saying  they  could  not  help  it ;  that  the  assault 
was  of  such  a  nature  that  they  could  not  resist;  that 
they  were,  so  to  speak,  overpowered.  But  the  Bible 
says  they  do  not  tell  the  truth,  that  they  fell  with  a 


92  HEART  TALKS. 

superior  force  in  them.  They  went  down  before  some- 
thing weaker  than  themselves.  A  man  has  fallen 
under  the  blow  of  a  boy's  hand!  Let  us  read  the 
Word  of  God  again,  "God  is  faithful,  who  will  not 
suffer  you  to  be  tempted  above  that  ye  are  able."  So, 
then,  according  to  this,  they  could  have  endured  the 
attack. 

This  same  statement,  which  puts  the  fall  of  the 
Christian  in  a  new  light,  also  fills  the  tempted  but 
as  yet  unfallen  child  of  God  with  great  comfort 
There  is  no  need  to  fall.  Greater  is  He  that  is  in 
us,  than  the  devil  and  the  world  outside  of  us.  The 
powers  of  darkness  will  be  held  in  check;  they  will 
not  be  allowed  to  do  their  worst  upon  us.  The  winds 
and  waves  of  hell  will  be  weighed  and  gauged  by  the 
Divine  Hand  before  they  are  allowed  to  beat  upon  His 
servant.  In  a  word,  there  is  no  necessity  for  spiritual 
foundering  and  shipwreck. 

Under  the  light  of  this  clear  Bible  statement  down 
go  the  timeworn  excuses  for  falling  in  "the  smell 
of  the  wine  at  the  Lord's  table,"  "the  odor  of  a  sa- 
loon," "the  power  of  habit,"  "the  force  of  suggestion," 
"the  influence  of  a  smile,"  "the  touch  of  a  hand,"  etc. 

Under  this  jubilee  blast  of  liberty  we  can  go  as 
free  men  past  saloons,  be  delivered  from  habit,  keep 
strong  under  look  and  touch  of  evil,  and  be  more  than 
conquerors  through  Him  who  loved  us. 


THE  COMFORT  IN  TEMPTATION.  93 

A  third  comfort  in  temptation  is  declared  in  the 
words,  "He  will  with  the  temptation  also  make  a 
way  to  escape."  Here  is  something  more  than 
strength  to  endure  promised;  it  is  actual  deliverance 
and  escape. 

There  are  several  ways  in  which  God  can  deliver 
us  from  the  hour  and  power  of  temptation. 

One  is  by  the  removal  of  the  object. 

This  we  do  not  believe  is  frequently  done,  as  our 
probation,  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  demands  that 
we  be  morally  tested  and  tried.  So  to  put  us  on  trial, 
and  then  remove  the  very  class  and  character  of  things 
which  will  declare  and  reveal  us,  would  be  to  act  con- 
tradictorily, and,  indeed,  absurdly.  If  we  are  not 
tempted  and  tried,  there  can  be  no  Day  of  Rewards 
for  us.  Still  there  are  times  when  God,  who  knows 
how  much  we  can  endure,  will  remove  the  object  that 
under  present  conditions  might  be  too  powerful  for 
us,  and  allow  it  to  come  later  to  the  attack,  when  we 
are  better  prepared. 

Again  He  delivers  us  by  urging  His  tempted  fol- 
lower to  a  precipitate  flight. 

Time  was  when  we  regarded  a  man's  avoidance 
of  a  place  of  moral  danger,  and  withdrawal  from  cer- 
tain social  surroundings  as  a  confession  of  weakness 
and  an  indication  of  cowardice.  But  with  the  flight 
of  years  we  became  convinced  that  such  a  course  was 


94  HEART  TALKS. 

proof,  not  only  of  the  wisdom,  but  of  moral  courage  as 
well. 

Flight  in  some  instances  is  the  best,  truest,  and 
safest  thing  we  can  do.  Joseph  achieved  an  immortal 
victory  when  he  fled  from  his  temptress.  There  are 
places  and  circumstances  where  we  can  not  tarry  or 
dally.  To  do  so  is  to  fall.  The  impulse  or  impression 
to  fly  is  from  God  himself,  who  would  thereby  save  us. 
The  divine  whisper  has  been  unmistakable  at  times 
in  the  life  when  there  was  peril,  and  when  God  saw  the 
danger  was  greater  than  the  man  dreamed.  The  in- 
ward voice  was  to  "fly!"  And  many  have  obeyed, 
and  fled,  and  so  have  been  delivered,  where  others, 
under  a  mistaken  idea  of  Christian  hardihood  and 
courage,  have  gone  down. 

We  read  in  First  Samuel  that  David  asked  the 
Lord,  "Will  the  men  of  Keilah  deliver  me  into  the 
hands  of  Saul?"  and  God  answered,  "They  will  de- 
liver thee  up."  This  is  a  wonderfully  impressive  sen- 
tence, and  shows  God's  knowledge  of  men  embraces 
all  that  they  are  capable  of  doing,  and  what  they  will 
or  would  do  under  certain  circumstances.  This  same 
Lord  has  lost  none  of  his  love  for  his  people,  and  none 
of  his  knowledge  of  the  sinful  heart.  So  His  whispers 
come  to  the  soul  as  suddenly  and  clearly  as  ever  warn- 
ing was  given  to  David,  "If  such  and  such  a  thing 
takes  place,  you  will  fall  into  sin." 


THE  COMFORT  IN  TEMPTATION.  95 

No  one  can  read  certain  warnings  given  by  Wes- 
ley and  others  of  the  old  writers  on  the  line  of  discreet- 
ness and  circumspectness  of  life,  without  realizing  that 
they  had  come  into  strange  experiences  and  had  gath- 
ered wisdom  as  the  years  went  by. 

There  is  an  instrument  lately  invented  by  which 
it  is  said  the  capacity  of  children  for  the  strain  and 
drain  of  school  hours  is  tested.  God  needs  no  ma- 
chine of  any  kind  to  know  how  much  we  can  bear 
in  the  hour  of  moral  trial.  He  knows  us  altogether. 
He  is  aware  that  a  protracted  assault  upon  the  soul 
would  cause  some  Christians  to  go  down  under  certain 
circumstances,  and  so,  as  it  does  not  agree  with  His 
plans  to  remove  the  cause,  His  method  of  deliverance 
to  his  child  is  the  whisper  to  fly. 

The  third  way  God  saves  us  in  and  from  tempta- 
tion, is  by  a  mighty  pouring  of  divine  grace  and  power 
into  the  soul. 

The  effect  of  this  is  to  so  lift  the  Christian  up 
above  the  influence  of  the  tempting  thing  or  being, 
that  he  marvels  how  he  could  ever  have  been  so 
shaken  and  stirred.  Under  increased  divine  love  and 
strength  the  whole  matter  looks  so  little  and  con- 
temptible that  he  wonders  how  he  could  ever  have 
been  moved  by  such  an  ambition,  pursuit,  pleasure, 
or  object. 

This  deliverance,  considered  in  the  light  of  reason, 


96  HEART  TALKS. 

is  like  a  man  struggling  to  lift  a  two-hundred-pound 
rock,  when  suddenly  the  power  of  two  other  men  is 
added  to  him,  and  lo!  off  he  walks  with  the  boulder 
with  the  greatest  ease.  Or  it  is  like  a  regiment  sorely 
beset  in  battle,  just  able  to  hold  its  ground,  when,  with 
a  great  shout,  a  new  regiment  dashes  to  their  aid,  and 
now  with  a  still  greater  cry  the  two  bodies  of  troops 
charge  and  sweep  the  field  before  them. 

In  like  manner  there  are  "evil  days,"  as  Paul  calls 
them,  when  we  simply  "stand"  and  "having  done  all 
to  stand."  God  permits  this  for  various  reasons.  The 
very  ability  to  stand,  however,  is  victory  in  itself,  and 
a  divine  rescue;  but  God  has  a  greater  deliverance 
still,  and  a  much  more  marvelous  victory.  After 
that  we  have  suffered  awhile,  he  will  pour  down  re- 
enforcements  from  the  skies  in  the  shape  of  brigades 
and  divisions  of  spiritual  joy  and  power,  and  with  a 
shout  of  triumph  we  will  charge  over  everything  and 
plant  our  triumphant  banners  upon  the  loftiest  forts 
and  strongest  citadels  of  our  spiritual  enemies. 

It  is  as  though  the  strength  of  three  men  had 
been  given  to  one.  It  is  the  arrival  of  the  second 
regiment  to  help  the  first.  It  is  the  bringing  up  of 
the  reserve  corps,  which  had  been  held  in  watchful 
observation  of  us,  and  at  the  critical  moment  was  sent 
rushing  and  flashing  into  the  heart  and  life,  and  lo! 


THE  COMFORT  IN  TEMPTATION.  97 

the  hour,  field,  battle  was  ours,  through  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord. 

The  victory  is  so  great  that  the  Bible  says  we 
are  "more  than  conquerors."  We  not  only  have  a 
rock  to  kill  Goliath,  but  several  other  stones  are 
placed  in  the  wallet,  or  scrip,  in  case  that  if  more 
giants  should  come  along  we  could  slay,  not  only 
one  monster,  but,  under  the  mighty  grace  of  God,  de- 
stroy the  whole  breed.  It  is  a  superabundant  victory. 

This  is  like  God.  This  is  the  way  He  deals  with 
His  people  who  are  faithful  to  Him.  He  not  only  will 
not  give  us  over  to  the  will  of  our  enemies,  but  will, 
according  to  David,  lift  our  heads  up  above  our  ene- 
mies. He  has  not  only  saved  us  in  the  past;  but  we 
can  say  with  Paul  concerning  the  future,  "The  Lord 
will  deliver  me  from  every  evil  work,  and  will  preserve 
me  unto  His  heavenly  kingdom." 


X. 

THE  FOUR  LOOKS  TOWARD  SODOM. 

OODOM,  with  its  natural  beauty,  sin,  vileness,  foul- 
^  ness,  God-forgetfulness,  and  heaven-defiance,  is  a 
good  type  of  the  world.  Upon  this  beautiful,  wicked, 
and  doomed  city  four  different  looks  were  cast  by  four 
different  beings.  They  stand  for  truths  of  a  solemn 
and  all-important  nature.  One  day  in  my  Bible  read- 
ing, I  was  suddenly  impressed  with  this  steady  gazing 
of  individuals  at  this  city  of  the  plain,  and  the  mind 
as  immediately  associated  and  connected  the  looks 
with  the  truths  we  have  alluded  to. 

The  first  look  was  cast  by  Lot. 

It  was  the  gaze  of  a  man  who  was  getting  his  own 
consent  to  live  there.  He  was  well  aware  of  the  char- 
acter of  the  place,  and  yet  looked  with  longing  in  the 
gaze.  According  to  the  Bible  he  ought  not  to  have 
dreamed  of  abiding  in  such  a  place.  The  blessedness 
of  walking  not  with  the  ungodly,  standing  not  with 
sinners,  and  sitting  not  with  the  scornful,  did  not 
begin  with  the  Psalmist's  time ;  but,  as  a  duty  and  ne- 
cessity, commenced  with  the  first  century  of  the 
world's  history.  Can  a  man  take  fire  in  his  bosom 

and  be  unburned,  and  handle  pitch  and  be  undefiled? 

98 


THE  FOUR  LOOKS  TOWARD  SODOM.  99 

Lot's  going  to  Sodom  to  live  meant  the  corrup- 
tion and  destruction  of  his  entire  family.  So  much 
do  association  and  surroundings  mean  in  this  world. 
And  yet  people,  without  a  thought,  make  changes  and 
moves  of  various  character  that  are  certain  to  affect 
disastrously  their  own  household  for  time  and  eternity. 

Sin  begins  with  a  look  in  forbidden  directions. 
So  Eve  fixed  her  eyes  on  the  interdicted  fruit,  and 
David  from  the  roof  of  his  palace  gazed  one  evening 
where  he  should  not.  So,  while  we  sing  there  is  life 
for  a  look,  there  is  also  death  from  a  look. 

It  is  remarkable  how  evil  will  come  in  like  a  tide 
if  the  first  glance  deepens  into  a  gaze.  The  only  hope 
is  to  make  a  covenant  with  the  eyes,  and  say,  "I  will 
not  look  on  any  wicked  thing." 

It  is  also  curious  and  significant  to  see  how  Lot 
got  into  Sodom.  It  was  not  at  a  bound;  but  he  first 
"looked  toward  Sodom,"  then  "journeyed  toward 
Sodom ;"  later  still,  "he  pitched  his  tent  over  against 
Sodom,"  and  finally  found  himself  in  Sodom.  Each 
successive  step  was  doubtless  attended  with  additional 
gazing;  but  the  first  look  witnessed  the  start  to  the 
unholy  place. 

Some  one  says  there  are  two  ways  of  getting  down 
from  a  tower;  one  is  to  jump  off,  and  the  other  to 
come  down  by  the  steps.  So  there  is  a  way  of  going 
rapidly  with  a  single  leap  into  sin  and  ruin ;  but  very 


100  HEART  TALKS. 

few  take  that  route.  The  great  majority  come  down 
by  the  steps,  by  the  successive  stages  of  moral  lapse 
typified  in  the  expressions,  "looking  toward,"  "jour- 
neying in  the  direction,"  and  "pitching  the  tent  over 
against  Sodom." 

The  thing  to  do  is  to  avoid  the  first  look,  and  if 
that  has  been  cast,  to  say,  "I  will  look  no  more." 

Once,  when  riding  along  a  country  road,  I  saw 
a  bird  charmed  by  a  snake.  The  reptile  lay  full 
length  on  the  limb  of  a  tree,  and  had  its  eyes  fixed 
on  its  spellbound  victim,  not  a  foot  away.  The  bird, 
with  extended,  tremulous  wings,  and  low,  distressed 
cry,  had  its  head  bent  forward,  and  was  gazing  into 
the  red,  open  mouth  and  glistening  eyes  of  its  en- 
snarer  and  would-be  destroyer.  I  got  down  from  my 
horse,  and  with  a  large  stick  killed  the  serpent  and 
rescued  the  almost  exhausted  songster  of  the  woods ; 
but  the  scene  actually  produced  a  kind  of  heart  nausea, 
and  I  never  forgot  the  impression. 

The  lesson  is  not  to  let  the  eye  get  on  the  world, 
lest  the  eyes  of  the  world  get  fixed  on  you,  with  its 
basilisk,  destructive  gaze,  and  there  would  be  no  de- 
liverance. 

The  second  look  directed  upon  Sodom  was  by 
the  Lord. 

I  know  of  no  scene  in  the  Bible  that  is  more  im- 
pressive than  this,  in  which  we  see  the  Almighty  stand- 


THE  FOUR  LOOKS  TOWARD  SODOM.  IOI 

ing  on  the  brow  of  the  mountains  which  skirt  the  val- 
ley of  Siddim,  and  looking  silently  and  fixedly  upon 
Sodom  as  it  lay  in  its  wealth,  beauty,  wickedness,  and 
utter  corruption  in  the  center  of  the  plain. 

As  the  people  sinned  on  that  day,  how  little  they 
dreamed  it  was  their  last,  and  that  God  in  human 
form  was  standing  on  a  mountain  ten  miles  away, 
looking  down  upon  them!  It  was  a  look  of  sorrow, 
condemnation,  and  judgment.  What  thoughts  must 
have  rolled  through  the  Divine  mind  at  this  hour! 
He  had  given  the  people  a  beautiful  land,  and  every 
material  blessing,  and  time  in  which  to  save  them- 
selves and  honor  God,  and  yet  they  had  misused  every- 
thing, perverted  his  gifts,  despised  his  grace,  broken 
his  laws,  rejected  his  warnings,  ill-treated  his  servants 
and  messengers,  and  put  themselves  finally  beyond 
the  pale  of  mercy. 

It  is  a  fearful  thought  that  a  person  may  live  such  a 
life  as  to  bring  upon  him  or  her  the  silent  and  fixed 
look  of  God.  The  dreadfulness  of  the  thought  is,  that 
such  a  gaze  means  that  judgment  is  close  by. 

The  third  look  thrown  upon  Sodom  was  by  Lot's 
wife. 

She  had  been  mercifully  drawn  by  angel  hands 
out  of  the  doomed  city,  and  was  in  a  place  of  safety. 
The  command  given  to  her  was  not  to  look  back, 
which  is  the  command  to  the  pardoned  and  regener- 


102  HEART  TALKS. 

ated  soul  until  to-day.  The  woman  disobeyed,  and, 
turning,  fixed  her  eyes  upon  the  burning  city.  The 
awful  picture  had  scarcely  been  made  upon  the  retina 
of  the  eye,  when  she  was  as  instantly  destroyed  and 
turned  to  a  pillar  of  salt. 

The  disposition  to  look  back  on  the  world  we 
have  left,  and  the  sinful  life  we  have  forsaken,  is  one 
of  the  strange  facts  we  have  to  encounter  in  the  spir- 
itual life.  The  hymn-book  recognizes  it  in  the  words, 
"Prone  to  wander,  Lord,  I  feel  it ;  prone  to  leave  the 
God  I  love."  We  are  called  to  deal  with  it  as  a  prin- 
ciple in  the  moral  life,  and  know  it  to  exist  in  spite 
of  the  teachings  of  modern  theology.  It  is  the  expla- 
nation of  many  strange  things  we  see  in  the  Church, 
and  accounts  for  the  cases  of  spiritual  petrifaction 
we  find  in  the  pulpit  and  pew. 

One  would  think  that  a  regenerated  heart  would 
gladly  push  on  to  mountains  of  a  higher  grace  and 
deliverance,  even  as  the  angel  told  Lot  and  his  fam- 
ily, "Stay  not  in  all  the  plain;  escape  for  thy  life  to 
the  mountains."  What  is  there  in  the  old  life  to 
tempt  us  again?  What  is  there  in  Sodom  to  draw  us 
back? 

And  yet,  in  spite  of  Zindendorf  and  all  his  follow- 
ers ;  in  spite  of  an  army  of  smaller  writers,  there  is  this 
disposition  in  the  regenerated  soul  to  look  back,  and, 
worse  still,  the  inclination  becomes  an  act.  As  a  con- 


THE  FOUR  LOOKS  TOWARD  SODOM.  103 

sequence  the  ghastly  miracle  of  people  being  turned 
to  stone  is  still  going  on.  We  see  it  in  faces  and  lives. 
Men  and  women  once  sweeping  across  the  plains  of 
salvation  are  now  stationary,  and  become  like  ada- 
mant. The  people  not  only  see  it,  but  they  themselves 
feel  it.  Faces  of  stone  in  the  pew,  faces  of  stone  in 
the  official  board,  and  faces  of  stone  in  the  pulpit! 
We  can  not  always  tell  when  the  backward  look  was 
turned,  and  what  special  thing  or  object  occasioned 
it;  but  we  all  can  see  the  life  suddenly  arrested,  and 
the  face  of  stone  looking  from  the  stationary  life 
upon  us. 

The  fourth  look  on  Sodom  was  cast  by  Abraham. 

He  stood  on  the  mountains  next  day,  and  saw  the 
destruction  which  God  had  sent  on  the  cities  of  the 
plain.  The  Bible  says  that  the  Lord  rained  fire  upon 
them  from  out  of  heaven,  and  the  smoke  went  up  as 
the  smoke  of  a  great  furnace.  The  spectacle  must 
have  been  horrifying  beyond  all  words  to  describe. 
To  see  a  country  which  the  day  before  was  all  beauti- 
ful and  prosperous,  with  bustling  cities,  and  teeming 
with  multitudes  of  people,  suddenly  ingulfed  in  fire, 
and  literally  swept  with  cyclones  of  flame  and  smoke, 
and,  underneath  it  all,  to  catch  glimpses  of  what  was 
transpiring,  was  truly  a  scene  of  horror,  and  well  cal- 
culated to  fix  the  gaze  of  not  only  one  man,  but 
every  eye  that  could  endure  the  sight. 


104  HEART  TALKS. 

This  look  was  not  mentioned  without  a  purpose. 
It  is  not  less  certain  that  one  part  of  the  human  fam- 
ily will,  from  the  heights  of  eternity,  behold  the  over- 
throw and  witness  the  destruction  of  this  world.  They 
will  see  the  flames  licking  up  cities,  forests,  and  rivers 
alike,  and  leaping  from  the  mountain-tops  like  wild 
animals.  They  will  see  whirlwinds  of  fire  sweeping 
about  like  cyclones  on  the  plains,  vast  pillars  of  smoke 
now  appearing  like  waterspouts,  and  now  seen  falling 
here  and  there  like  great  pillars  under  the  touch  of  a 
Samson  hand.  Complete  and  overwhelming  will  be 
the  ruin  of  terrestrial  things  on  that  day. 

There  was  no  joy  in  Abraham's  look  that  morning 
of  disaster  to  Sodom,  and  there  will  be  nothing  of  the 
kind  in  the  heart  of  God's  people  on  the  dreadful  Day 
of  Judgment.  But  there  will  be  no  dissent  to,  or  dis- 
approval of,  the  divine  proceedings  in  that  fearful 
hour.  It  will  all  come  to  the  silent  witnesses  in  that 
time,  that  it  was  in  vain  God  loaded  the  people  down 
with  material  bounties;  in  vain  for  them  harvests 
waved,  flowers  and  fruits  abounded,  flocks  and  herds 
multipled,  cities  prospered  and  Plenty  waved  her  wand 
over  the  broad  earth.  It  was  in  vain  God  gave  his 
Son,  sent  his  Spirit,  and  filled  the  earth  with  churches, 
bibles,  and  preachers.  It  was  in  vain  he  bore  with 
them,  and  warned  and  promised  and  pleaded  ten  thou- 
sand times.  They  would  not  have  him  to  reign  over 


THE  FOUR  LOOKS  TOWARD  SODOM.  105 

them.  They  mocked  at  message  and  messenger. 
They  broke  every  commandment,  grieved  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  trampled  the  blood  of  Christ  under  their 
feet  as  an  unholy  thing.  They  laid  up  wrath  against 
the  Day  of  Wrath.  They  made  themselves  ripe  for 
destruction.  And  it  has  come  at  last.  This  is  the  end 
long  foretold  by  prophet  and  affirmed  by  God.  Time 
is  ended.  The  earth  is  being  burned  up ;  the  heavens 
are  passing  away;  the  nations  who  forgot  God,  and 
still  can  not  pray,  are  calling  for  the  mountains  to  fall 
upon  them;  and  from  the  great  cliffs  of  the  eternal 
world,  the  Redeemed  stand  and  view  the  dreadful 
scene.  The  typical  look  of  Abraham  is  fulfilled  at  last. 


XI. 

THE  STRENGTH  OF  SAMSON. 

A 5  far  as  it  is  possible  for  a  doctrine  or  great  spir- 
itual truth  to  be  illustrated  in  a  man,  God  has 
striven  to  show  heavenly  facts  in  vessels  of  clay. 

Notably  is  this  seen  in  the  case  of  Samson.  The 
marvelous  strength  given  the  man,  and  his  use  of  the 
same,  was  intended  to  teach  something;  and  if  that 
teaching  is  not  holiness  and  some  of  its  striking  fea- 
tures, then  the  wonderful  life  of  the  man  is  still  an  un- 
solved problem. 

Accepting  the  thought  that  holiness  is  thus  typi- 
fied and  taught,  and  at  once  Samson's  life  becomes 
luminous  and  full  of  profound  instruction  as  well  as 
warning  to  us.  The  reader  is  called  upon  to  observe 
several  facts. 

First,  the  man  was  a  Nazarite. 

The  Nazarites  were  the  typical  holy  people.  They 
were  under  peculiar  vows  to  God,  and  lived  a  life  of 
self-denial  and  sacrifice.  They  drank  no  wine,  ate  no 
grapes,  and  were  not  allowed  to  cut  their  hair. 

A  sanctified  man  is  the  Nazarite  of  to-day.  He 
is  under  peculiar  vows,  and  is  expected  to  be  different 

from  his  regenerated  brethren.     Things  which  are 

106 


THE  STRENGTH  OF  SAMSON.  107 

lawful  in  themselves  and  may  be  practiced  or  enjoyed 
by  others,  are  not  allowed  to  him.  There  are  books 
he  can  not  read,  and  songs  he  can  not  sing,  and  pleas- 
ures and  pursuits  from  which  he  is  precluded  by  God 
and  man.  The  unshorn  hair  and  refraining  from 
grapes  and  wine  stand  for  principles  of  life  and  con- 
duct, which  will  make  a  peculiar  and  holy  people. 
The  Nazarite  in  early  days,  and  now,  was  highly  ex- 
alted; great  was  to  be  his  honor;  but  not  less  true  is 
the  fact  that  he  had  to  walk  a  very  narrow  and  lonely 
path.  It  costs  to  be  a  Nazarite. 

Another  fact  about  Samson's  life  was  that  his 
strength  was  the  gift  of  God. 

So  is  holiness  the  direct  work  of  the  Lord  upon 
the  soul.  He  imparts  it.  It  can  come  in  no  other  way. 

An  additional  fact  was  that  the  marvelous  strength 
of  the  man  was  a  secret. 

The  fact  of  the  general  ignorance  as  to  where  his 
power  lay  is  seen  in  the  credulity  and  blunders  of 
Delilah.  No  one  connected  it  with  his  hair.  When 
Samson  told  his  betrayer  that  if  seven  green  withes 
were  used  to  bind  him,  he  would  be  helpless,  she  be- 
lieved him.  So  in  regard  to  the  pinning  of  his  head 
to  the  wall.  The  woman  who  knew  him  best  did  not 
dream  where  his  mighty  power  lay. 

All  this  is  significant.  It  means  that  the  unc- 
tion and  influence  of  the  sanctified  man  is  a  mys- 


108  HEART  TALKS. 

tery  to  all  who  have  it  not.  They  see  the  effects,  but 
do  not  know  how  to  account  for  it.  Often  they  say 
it  is  personal  magnetism,  eloquence,  a  pleasing  man- 
ner, and  many  other  like  things.  The  real  secret  is 
hidden  from  them.  The  white  stone  with  the  new 
name  is  only  known  by  those  who  have  received  it. 

A  fourth  fact  connected  with  the  history  is,  that 
it  was  not  necessary  for  Samson  to  be  a  physical  giant 
to  possess  his  strength. 

We  doubt  not  that  he  was  a  man  of  ordinary  size, 
and  very  likely  below  the  average  stature  of  men. 
This  fact  alone  would  actually  add  to  the  wonder  of 
this  human  miracle,  and  so  to  the  glory  of  God. 

We  recall  once  hearing  a  magnificent  female  voice 
in  a  large  church.  It  was  so  deep,  rich,  and  powerful, 
that  we  turned  to  look  at  the  singer,  and  saw  a  frail- 
looking  little  woman  that  a  mere  touch  or  jostle 
seemed  able  to  push  into  the  grave ;  and  yet  from  the 
delicate  creature  came  pouring  forth  the  full  rich 
sounds  that  were  thrilling  and  moving  everybody. 

Doubtless,  the  physical  frame  of  Samson  seemed 
utterly  inadequate  to  do  the  deeds  which  he  per- 
formed. It  must  have  perfectly  astonished  the  people 
to  see  him  rip  great  massive  gates  from  the  city  wall, 
and  carry  them  with  ease  miles  away;  or  to  see  him 
destroy  a  lion  or  achieve  any  one  of  the  remarkable 
exploits  for  which  he  was  famous.  The  things  done 


THE  STRENGTH  OF  SAMSON.  IOQ 

were  so  disproportionate  to  his  size,  they  so  towered 
above  him  according  to  the  natural  eye,  that  the 
miracle  was  declared  in  the  performance,  and  God  was 
seen  and  glorified. 

We  have  beheld  the  blessing  of  sanctification  come 
upon  and  shine  forth  from  apparently  very  unpromis- 
ing subjects.  Not  to  speak  of  men  who  were  pigmies 
in  body  but  giants  in  spiritual  power,  we  have  also 
been  made  to  wonder  at  the  marvelous  divine  endue- 
ment  abiding  in  individuals  who  were  rough  in  ap- 
pearance, unattractive  in  person,  unpolished  in  speech, 
and  without  education  or  culture  whatever.  They 
were  not  even  remarkable  for  gifts,  and  so  were  not 
giants  of  any  kind.  They  were  plain,  unpretending 
men  and  women,  and  this  very  fact  brought  out  the 
power  and  glory  of  God  all  the  more.  The  extraor- 
dinary was  seen  plainly  against  a  background  of  the 
ordinary. 

A  fifth  fact  relative  to  the  strength  of  Samson  was 
that  it  would  arise  in  him  in  mightiest  force  at  certain 
times. 

While  he  always  had  the  secret  of  strength,  yet 
there  were  occasions  when  this  power  would  fairly 
boil  in  him,  and  rush  forth  like  the  sweep  of  an  irre- 
sistible tempest.  Once  this  happened  at  the  sight  of 
a  lion;  again  as  he  looked  at  the  gates  of  Gaza;  and 
still  again  on  viewing  a  multitude  of  Philistines.  Ac- 


110  HEART  TALKS. 

cording  to  the  Scripture,  the  Spirit  would  come  upon 
him,  and  with  his  blood  rushing  through  his  veins,  his 
muscles  swelling  like  great  ropes,  and  a  shout  of  tri- 
umph ringing  from  his  lips,  Samson  would  hurl 
himself  upon  the  enemy,  and  there  would  be  a  mar- 
velous victory. 

All  this  is  perfectly  familiar  to  the  sanctified  man ; 
that  strange  coming  upon  him  of  the  Spirit,  and  the 
feeling  that  he  can  not  only  leap  over  a  wall,  but  run 
through  a  troop,  strangle  lions,  tear  up  gates  of  brass, 
and  scatter  a  host  of  the  king's  enemies  anywhere, 
everywhere,  and  every  time. 

It  seemed,  when  the  Divine  energy  would  surge 
through  Samson,  that  he  had  to  throttle,  tear  up  or 
knock  down  something.  This  same  peculiar  force 
swells  in  the  soul  of  the  sanctified,  and  brings  with 
it  a  sense  of  physical  power  that  is  felt  all  over  the 
body.  If  sin  was  in  a  material  form  before  the  man  of 
God  at  such  a  time,  it  would  have  to  go  down.  The 
hands  reach  out  instinctively  to  shatter  and  destroy 
the  works  of  the  devil. 

So  when  once  the  writer  beheld  a  preacher  shaking 
with  the  power  of  God  upon  him,  cast  something  afar 
with  his  hand,  and  with  a  quick  sweep  of  the  foot  hurl 
some  wooden  object  from  the  platform,  we  knew  how 
he  felt,  and  what  he  meant,  and  what  was  in  him.  We 
knew  that  an  overplus  of  spiritual  force  was  working 


THE  STRENGTH  OF  SAMSON.  Ill 

out  in  a  physical  way,  and  that  he  had  thus  to  relieve 
himself,  even  as  Samson,  heaven  filled  and  fired,  felt 
compelled  to  tear  up  heavy  gates,  pack  them  for  miles, 
and  pitch  them  on  the  top  of  a  hill. 

Many  times  the  writer  has  felt  this  strange  in- 
fluence as  he  stood  in  the  pulpit.  It  would  fill  the  soul 
and  fairly  tingle  to  the  ends  of  the  body.  It  was  an 
intoxication  that  did  not  interfere  with,  but  brought 
clearheadedness.  A  thrilling  joyous  sense  of  power 
throbbed  through  the  entire  being,  and  the  hands 
fairly  itched  to  upheave  gates,  choke  lions,  pull  down 
walls,  and  beat  a  triumphant  way  through  every  kind 
of  difficulty  and  opposition. 

We  do  not  doubt  that  when  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
would  come  upon  Samson,  he  would  shout,  and  under 
his  tremendous  onset  nothing  could  stand  before  him. 
In  like  manner  we  have  seen  the  holy  power  filling 
and  overflowing  some  servant  of  God.  While  the 
blessing  is  always  a  resident  latent  strength,  yet  at 
the  sight  of  a  spiritual  foe,  a  work  to  be  done,  a  battle 
to  fight,  and  a  victory  to  win,  this  wondrous  spiritual 
force  will  be  felt  coming  down  on  brain,  heart,  and 
body,  as  well  as  springing  up  from  the  very  depths 
of  the  soul,  and  the  man  will  stand  before  us  filled, 
glowing,  and  fairly  transfigured. 

It  is  noticeable  by  every  one  that  if  the  possessor 
of  the  blessing  is  true  to  God,  the  Lord  will  never 


112  HEART  TALKS. 

leave  him  in  the  presence  of  his  enemies  without  this 
divine  girding  and  anointing.  Sometimes  the  man 
will  have  gone  through  the  preparatory  services  and  is 
ready  to  rise  with  his  text  before  a  great  audience, 
when  suddenly  he  feels  the  sweet  sense  of  power  com- 
ing upon  him.  As  he  opens  his  lips  and  speaks,  the 
volume  increases,  and  in  a  little  while  a  Samson  of 
New  Testament  times,  with  his  mysterious  strength 
and  perfect  ability  to  meet  the  demand  of  the  hour, 
is  before  us,  and  sweeping  all  things  before  him. 

The  writer  has  seen  the  power  rising  up  and  filling 
a  man  in  the  pulpit  until  all  felt  the  strange,  inscrutable 
presence  of  God  in  the  speaker,  and  realized  that  a 
giant  stood  before  us.  And,  moreover,  he  was  a 
giant,  had  the  strength  of  a  giant,  and  did  the  work 
of  a  giant  in  the  swaying  at  his  will  of  a  multitude  of 
people.  Samson  was  living  again  and  at  his  old-time 
work. 

We  have  seen  this  power  fall  upon  a  preacher  when 
he  was  concluding  a  sermon.  He  had  made  his  points, 
convinced  the  understanding  of  the  people  before  him, 
had  shown  the  vileness  and  helplessness  of  man,  and 
declared  the  almighty  ability  of  Christ  to  save  and 
save  to  the  uttermost.  At  this  juncture  we  have  seen 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  descend  upon  the  speaker,  and 
then  such  a  holy,  rapturous,  triumphant,  ringing  laugh 
would  peal  from  his  lips,  that  no  words  could  describe 


THE  STRENGTH  OF  SAMSON.  113 

the  panic  and  consternation  among  sinners  and  back- 
sliders. Such  as  had  strength  to  move  at  all  would 
rush  to  the  altar  and  fall  down,  while  others  would 
be  stricken  into  a  silence  that  was  both  remarkable 
and  awful.  The  God  of  Samson  had  come !  Samson 
himself  was  again  before  us,  his  form  actually  appear- 
ing to  tower  above  us,  his  voice  echoing  from  church- 
walls  as  from  mountain-sides,  and  the  altar-floor  seem- 
ing like  another  plain  of  Philistia  covered  with  dead 
and  wounded  Philistines. 

A  sixth  fact  about  Samson  was  that,  when  the 
power  was  upon  him,  any  weapon  he  could  lay  his 
hand  upon,  was  sufficient  to  win  the  victory. 

For  instance,  at  the  time  when  he  met  the  lion 
in  the  way,  and  the  animal  "roared  against  him,"  the 
Scripture  says,  "the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  came  mightily 
upon  him,  and  he  rent  him  as  he  would  have  rent  a 
kid."  But  the  same  passage  tells  us  that  when  he  did 
this,  "he  had  nothing  in  his  hand." 

At  another  time,  a  multitude  of  his  enemies  were 
arrayed  before  him.  The  crowd  "shouted  against 
him,"  but  the  Bible  says,  "The  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
came  mightily  upon  him,"  and  then  adds  that  Sam- 
son found  a  bone  lying  on  the  ground,  and,  rushing 
into  the  combat  with  this  simple  weapon,  he  slew 
with  it  one  thousand  men. 

It  is  to  be  noticed  that  the  Spirit  was  upon  him 

8 


114  HEART  TALKS. 

when  he  did  so  much  with  those  empty  hands  on  one 
occasion  and  with  a  mere  bone  on  the  other. 

All  this  is  profoundly  significant,  and  means  that 
a  man,  with  the  blessing  in  him  and  filling  him  to 
overflowing,  at  the  call  of  duty  and  trumpet-blast  of 
battle  can  win  victory  with  the  simplest  of  means  and 
instrumentalities. 

We  all  know  what  it  is  to  see  great  union-meetings 
of  the  Churches,  with  combined  choirs,  platform  nota- 
bles, resetted  ushers,  artistic  solos,  eloquent  prayers, 
and  great  discourses  on  the  oratorical,  logical,  and 
theological  order,  and  yet  nothing  accomplished. 
The  chariots  of  Assyria  had  been  hired,  and  the  horses 
of  Egypt  secured,  but  victory  did  not  come.  Some- 
thing seemed  to  be  lacking.  The  Spirit  of  God  had 
not  and  did  not  fall  upon  the  services  and  the  people. 

Again,  we  all  have  seen  the  tremendous  pulpit 
effort,  and  a  series  of  tremendous  efforts,  utterly  fail 
to  do  what  was  longed  for  and  expected.  The  man 
was  scholarly,  polished,  refined,  and  a  Christian  at 
that.  His  logic  was  unanswerable,  and  his  manner 
beyond  criticism.  He  was  an  elegant  Christian 
gentleman,  preaching  the  truth;  but  somehow  God 
did  not  answer  by  fire.  There  was  a  perfect  magazine 
of  spiritual  weapons,  parks  of  pulpit  artillery,  some 
sky-rockets  for  signal  service,  cavalry  charges  of 
propositions,  and  admirable  manipulation  of  the  con- 


THE  STRENGTH  OF  SAMSON.  115 

gregation,  but  nothing  was  done.  There  was  no 
"power."  The  results  of  the  meeting  were  more  like 
that  of  a  dress  parade  and  review  than  an  actual  battle. 

Over  against  all  this  let  a  man  have  the  blessing 
we  are  writing  about,  and  the  fruit  of  his  life  and  the 
result  of  his  labors  will  at  once  begin  to  excite  the 
talk  and  astonishment  of  the  community  and  country 
at  large.  It  will  be  observed  that  while  he  employs 
the  usual  methods  and  agencies  of  grace,  yet  he  does 
not  lean  on  them  or  look  to  them,  but  to  something 
or  somebody  above  and  beyond.  The  "power"  seems 
to  come  down  in  a  way  independent  of  people,  circum- 
stances, and  everything.  No  matter  what  he  says 
and  what  he  does,  a  heavenly  influence  is  at  once  felt 
in  convicting,  softening,  quickening,  comforting,  and 
saving  power.  There  seems  to  be  a  double  response 
to  what  he  utters,  one  from  heaven  and  the  other  from 
the  hearts  of  men.  He  is  clothed  with  holy  energy, 
and  God  owns,  acknowledges,  and  honors  his  servant 
in  ways  most  unmistakable  from  the  skies. 

It  matters  not  whether  he  is  empty-handed  or  full- 
handed,  whether  he  gives  a  complete  sermon  or  a 
simple  talk, — the  strong  man  of  God  is  always  before 
us,  and  never  having  a  defeat.  There  are  times  when 
he  may  seem  to  have  nothing  in  his  hands,  or  he  may 
have  picked  up  a  mere  bone,  and  yet  he,  being  filled 
with  the  Holy  Ghost,  sweeps  everything  before  him. 


Il6  HEART  TALKS. 

The  beautiful  solo,  sung  with  artistic  grace  and 
studied  effect,  has  left  every  heart  unmoved  and  every 
eye  dry  as  stone,  when  under  a  single  stanza  or 
two  of  an  old  hymn,  the  man  we  speak  of  has  every 
face  bathed  with  tears.  The  eloquent  prayer  got  no- 
where, and  the  studied  discourse  was  lost  in  thin  air; 
but  Samson,  the  real  spiritual  Samson,  with  whom 
God  wants  to  fill  the  Church  to-day,  being  present 
and  called  on  to  conclude,  put  his  consecrated  arms 
around  the  pillars  of  God's  promises,  and  in  a  few 
broken,  burning  utterances  of  the  soul,  and  with  a 
mighty  upheaving,  pulling-down  grasp  of  faith,  fairly 
brought  the  heavens  down,  and  he,  Samson,  and  the 
people  alike,  were  all  covered  up  with  shouts,  cries, 
laughter,  weeping,  clapping  of  hands,  and  sweeping 
clouds  of  glory. 

"Our  fathers  had  this  power, 
And  we  may  have  it  too! 
'Tis  the  power,  the  power! 
Tis  the  very  same  power! 
T  is  the  power,  the  power ! 
Tis  the  power  which  Jesus 
Promised  should  come  down." 


XII. 
THE  DEFEAT  AT  AI. 

'T'HE  reader  will  remember  that,  after  the  children 
•*  of  Israel  had  crossed  the  Jordan  into  Canaan,  and 
after  the  great  victory  at  Jericho,  there  came  a  most 
mortifying  defeat  to  them  at  a  place  called  Ai.  The 
aggravating  features  of  the  humiliation  were  the  small 
size  of  the  town  assailed  and  the  smaller  number  of 
the  enemy's  forces,  compared  to  the  Israelites.  Well 
might  the  people  be  astounded. 

The  explanation  of  the  reverse  was,  there  had 
been  transgression  in  the  camp.  God  was  grieved, 
and  would  not  go  out  with  his  people  to  battle.  As 
a  result  their  power  was  gone,  and  they  not  only  could 
do  nothing  with  their  foes,  but  could  not  even  stand 
before  them. 

We  read  that  Joshua  rent  his  clothes  and  fell  upon 
his  face,  while  the  elders  of  Israel  put  dust  on  their 
heads.  It  was  after  that,  God  told  them  there  was 
an  accursed  thing  in  the  camp.  The  search  was  made, 
and  under  the  tent  of  Achan  was  found  the  wedge  of 
gold  and  Babylonish  garment  which  had  been 
secreted  there  by  the  disobedient  Israelite.  The  rest 
of  the  history  is  well  known  as  to  the  stoning  of 

"7 


Il8  HEART  TALKS. 

Achan,  the  destruction  of  the  hidden  things,  and  the 
burning  up  of  all  the  man's  property. 

Once  more  power  and  victory  returned  to  the 
children  of  Israel;  God  went  out  with  their  armies, 
and  the  nations  melted  at  their  very  presence. 

The  occurrence  makes  a  melancholy  narrative,  but 
it  is  something  that  has  transpired  many  times  since 
in  the  lives  of  Christians  and  in  the  history  of 
Churches. 

It  is  not  uncommon  to  see  a  Church,  after  a  career 
of  usefulness  and  power,  go  into  a  condition  of  moral 
apathy  and  deadness.  It  is  even  more  common  to 
behold  men,  once  clothed  with  heavenly  zeal  and 
mighty  with  the  unction  of  God,  gradually  cool  off, 
lose  their  spiritual  force,  and  become  weak  like  other 
men.  They  have  had  Jerichos  to  fall  before  them, 
but  now,  under  some  strange  change,  they  can  not 
take  Ai.  Indeed,  they  retire  from  before  Ai.  They 
recognize  the  loss  in  themselves,  and  others  observe 
it  as  well.  Something  has  happened.  Something  is 
the  matter. 

Time  would  fail  to  tell  of  preachers  and  laymen 
who  ran  well  for  a  season,  and  then  gradually  or  sud- 
denly their  triumphant  career  was  ended.  There  have 
been  a  number  of  evangelists  who  fairly  blazed  for 
a  while,  and  then  their  light  began  to  wane  and 


THE  DEFEAT  AT  AT.  1 19 

finally,  in  some  instances,  went  out  entirely.  Among 
the  names  were  some  prominent  ones.  They  had  the 
ear  of  the  people,  drew  multitudes,  pulled  down  fire 
from  heaven,  and  yet  after  all  this  went  into  eclipse 
and  darkness. 

In  some  cases  there  can  be  a  proper  explanation 
like  unto  that  of  John  the  Baptist,  who  saw  himself 
decrease  and  Christ  increase.  The  man's  work  may 
be  ended,  his  mission  accomplished,  and  so  he  passes 
away. 

In  other  instances  the  explanation  is  not  so  easy. 
The  demand  for  workers  is  great,  the  laborers  are  few, 
the  people  need  instruction  and  salvation,  and  the 
sheep  are  scattered;  why  should  men  once  so  useful, 
become  useless,  and  who  shone  as  stars  of  the  first 
magnitude  retrograde  to  the  glimmering  of  the  fourth 
and  fifth  rank,  and  at  last  go  out  altogether?  Surely 
the  Holy  Ghost  did  not  exhaust  Himself  on  them  in 
their  first  year.  Surely  usefulness  should  increase  with 
growing  wisdom  and  experience  and  from  long  and 
deep  communion  with  God.  Certainly  some  kind  of 
explanation  is  in  order. 

It  is  curious  to  hear  the  man  himself  talk.  He 
tells  of  great  battles  in  the  past,  great  victories  over 
every  kind  of  forbidding  circumstance.  It  is  while 
lying  in  the  fields  besieging  little  Ai,  he  describes  how 


I2O  HEART  TALKS. 

he  captured  Jericho  on  the  fourth  or  fifth  day,  his 
auditors  meanwhile  wondering  why  he  can  not  take 
the  small  place  now  before  him. 

His  explanations  of  present  inability  and  failure 
are  voluminous,  some  of  them  pathetic,  others  elo- 
quent. He  says  that  his  natural  force  is  abating.  But 
it  is  noticed  that  he  eats  as  much  as  ever,  and  perhaps 
more.  He  speaks  of  nervous  prostration  a  great  deal : 
time  was,  he  had  more  to  say  about  bodily  prostration 
on  the  floor  in  prayer.  It  is  sad  to  hear  him  talking  so 
much  about  what  "the  doctors  say  about  his  case." 
Meantime  the  people  are  also  discussing  his  case ;  but 
it  is  another  one  than  that  which  the  physicians 
are  thinking  about.  One  is  looking  at  the  physical 
and  the  other  at  the  spiritual  side  of  the  man.  From 
what  he  says  about  the  great  power  he  once  possessed 
before  he  broke  down  physically,  one  would  suppose 
that  spiritual  force  could  not  abide  in  or  proceed  from 
a  frail  and  delicate  body;  that  religious  influence  de- 
pended more  on  health  than  grace,  and  on  the  state  of 
the  nerves  rather  than  on  the  condition  of  the  soul. 

Without  depreciating  the  advantages  of  health  and 
strength  in  the  work  of  God,  yet,  as  an  offset  to  this 
idea,  we  would  call  attention  to  Summerfield,  Payson, 
and  a  number  of  others,  who  scarcely  ever  knew  an 
hour  of  physical  ease,  who  would  in  preaching  be  in- 
terrupted by  hemorrhages,  and  swoon  in  the  pulpit 


THE  DEFEAT  AT  AI.  121 

after  an  hour's  faithful  labor,  and  yet  their  power  with 
God  and  man  was  marvelous. 

Let  it  be  understood  that  we  are  not  referring  to 
defeats  before  places  which  would  not  surrender  if  an 
angel  fresh  from  heaven  would  come  and  offer  them 
the  gospel.  The  Bible  speaks  very  plainly  about  in- 
dividuals and  places  that  are  given  over  to  idols  and 
to  believe  a  lie.  Christ  himself  came  to  towns  where 
He  could  do  no  mighty  works,  and  Paul  came  to 
Athens,  and  had  to  leave  it  as  he  found  it,  in  its  silly 
mirth  and  with  its  multitudinous  false  gods.  To  this 
day  there  are  Jerusalems  that  have  to  be  wept  over 
as  not  knowing  the  time  of  their  visitation,  and  towns 
whose  very  dust,  Christ  says,  shake  off  from  youi 
feet 

We  allude  not  to  defeats  before  such  communities, 
but  to  the  departure  of  spiritual  power  from  individ- 
uals who  once  possessed  it  abundantly,  and  to  need- 
less reverses  before  Ai,  when  the  place  should  and  can 
be  taken  by  men  and  women  filled  with  the  Holy 
Ghost.  The  town  has  not  been  given  over  to  hard- 
ness, and  yet  it  is  not  taken  for  God.  What  is  the 
matter?  There  is  an  explanation.  What  is  it? 

Just  as  in  the  instance  of  Israel,  something  wrong 
had  been  done,  and  the  wedge  of  gold  and  Babylonish 
garment  were  buried  under  a  tent  in  the  midst  of 
the  camp — so  there  has  been  a  moral  misstep,  a  trans- 


122  HEART  TALKS. 

gression  of  the  Divine  law,  and  the  fact  is  hidden  in 
the  life,  is  unconfessed,  and  perhaps  imrenounced. 

The  result  is  that  God  will  not  go  up  to  the  battle 
with  the  man.  The  sermon  is  preached,  the  prayer 
uttered,  the  testimony  and  exhortation  given,  con- 
siderable intellectual  ability  displayed,  an  appearance 
of  something  being  done  is  created;  and  yet  devout 
hearts  feel  that  something  is  lacking,  and  victory, 
clear,  glorious,  unmistakable  victory,  does  not  come. 
An  accursed  thing  is  in  the  camp;  the  offender  has 
his  tent  pitched  over  it,  and  the  face  which  looks  out 
of  the  tent  is  one  of  darkness  and  profound  melan- 
choly. 

But  this  is  not  the  explanation  of  all  cases  of  de- 
feat, nor  indeed  of  the  great  majority  of  instances  of 
failure.  The  blessed  power  of  prevailing  with  man 
and  obtaining  gracious  victories  in  the  work  of  God 
can  be  lost  in  ways  far  less  gross  and  criminal.  It 
can  go  through  actions  which  are  not  the  breaking  of 
the  letter  of  the  Ten  Commandments. 

Loose  thinking  can  do  the  deed. 

Careless  speech  can  sap  the  holy  power. 

Lack  of  prayer  will  affect  the  divine  glow  and 
glory. 

Still  more  remarkable:  an  undue  attention  given 
to  things  that  are  lawful  and  proper  in  themselves 


THE  DEFEAT  AT  AI. 

will,  in  time,  leave  us  weak  in  the  presence  of  friends 
and  foes. 

He  who  possesses  the  wonderful  blessing  which 
Christ  promised  the  disciples,  is  called  upon  to  walk 
in  a  very  narrow  way.  There  are  many  things 
which  others  can  do  that  he  can  not.  He  is  a  Nazarite. 
There  are  pursuits  which  are  perfectly  honorable,  but 
he  can  not  walk  in  them.  There  are  books  which 
are  untainted,  and  yet  he  can  not  read  them.  There 
are  songs  that  are  clean,  but  he  can  not  sing  them 
without  hurt  to  his  soul.  He  may  be  in  the  possession 
of  gifts  which,  if  used,  might  lead  him  to  prominence 
and  wealth.  Other  men,  good  and  true,  tread  these 
paths  and  are  succeeding  with  gifts  not  superior  to 
his  own ;  but  he  is  called  by  the  Master  to  a  close  walk 
and  a  peculiar  work.  He  can  not  do  as  others 
may  do. 

So,  if  betrayed  by  his  gifts  into  these  walks  and 
pursuits,  he  after  a  while  discovers  in  some  important 
hour  that  the  old-time  force  has  gone.  He  can  not 
take  Ai.  It  is  while  he  feels  his  inability  to  take  Ai 
that  he  tells  how  he  once  captured  Jericho.  This, 
of  course,  is  intended  as  an  apology  for  the  present 
failure,  and  also  helps  to  while  away  the  time. 

The  things  mentioned  may  seem  too  little  and  in- 
significant to  some  to  cause  such  a  disaster;  but  they 


124  HEART  TALKS. 

are  not  little.  A  spider-web  once  took  so  much  elec- 
tricity from  a  telegraph  wire  and  buried  it  in  the 
ground  that  a  message  could  not  be  sent  from  one 
town  to  another.  The  stock  company  and  the  public 
were  as  much  troubled  and  annoyed  about  it  as  if  the 
little  white  threads  were  chains  of  iron.  The  connec- 
tion was  broken  and  the  power  shut  off. 

There  is  nothing  wrong  in  the  bicycle  as  used  for 
exercise,  health,  and  business,  but  the  writer  knew  a 
holiness  preacher  who  allowed  his  wheel  to  so  mo- 
nopolize his  thoughts  and  conversation,  and  consume 
so  much  time  in  oiling  and  repairing,  that  he  lost 
his  power  and  found  himself  helpless  before  Ai. 

We  knew  another  to  devote  so  much  of  the  day 
to  telegraphy,  that  should  have  been  spent  in  commu- 
nion with  God  and  in  soul-work,  that  the  bubbling 
joy  went  out  of  his  heart,  the  shine  from  his  face,  and 
in  sermon  and  prayer  you  could  see  that  he  could  not 
capture  Ai. 

The  writer  once  had  with  him  for  a  week  or  so, 
while  in  his  active  work,  a  large,  sweet-toned  music- 
box.  It  was  only  a  few  days  when,  through  the  pa- 
thetic sentimental  pieces,  he  felt  that  a  spider-web  was 
getting  on  his  wire.  Of  course,  the  box  went,  for 
he  was  anxious  to  get  some  messages  through  to  the 
throne  about  Ai,  which  at  the  same  time  was  holding 
out  most  remarkably. 


THE  DEFEAT  AT  AT.  125 

Recently  we  met  a  young  man  who  Has  lost  his 
spiritual  joy  and  power  by  over-devotion  to  a  musical 
accomplishment. 

A  kodak  is  a  pleasant  article  to  possess,  and  is 
Qapable  of  giving  much  genuine  and  innocent  pleas- 
ure ;  but  if  a  man,  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  called 
to  a  special  work,  begins  to  use  one  too  much,  he  will 
soon  commence  wondering  where  the  dew  is  that  was 
once  on  the  fleece,  and  what  can  be  the  matter  with 
the  walls  of  Ai,  which  will  not  go  down  under  his  ser- 
mons and  prayer-guns. 

Politics,  election  returns,  Associated  Press  dis- 
patches, questions  of  reform,  and  many  other  matters 
can  and  will,  if  we  are  not  careful,  become  switch-lines 
to  take  the  Divine  electricity  out  of  our  souls. 

Abundance  of  talk  on  any  ephemeral,  non-essen- 
tial, and  temporal  question  will  be  a  spider-web  to  the 
line. 

Bicycles,  kodaks,  telegraphy,  music,  literature,  and 
art  are  all  good  things.  They  are  legitimate  and 
proper,  but  through  them  it  is  possible  to  lose  the 
old-time  glory  and  power,  and  we  be  left  everlasting 
besiegers  of  Ai,  when  we  should  take  it  at  once  with 
a  charge  and  shout  of  victory. 

If  we  are  having  continued  reverses,  meeting  with 
frequent  defeats  in  our  religious  work  and  life,  let  us 
look  under  the  tent.  Small  things  may  be  hidden 


126  HEART  TALKS. 

there,  and,  according  to  the  Bible,  God  notices  small 
things. 

If  anything  is  there  to  which,  while  lawful,  we 
give  undue  attention  and  devotion,  let  us  correct  mat- 
ters and  put  them  in  proper  relation. 

If  anything  is  there  that  is  doubtful  and  question- 
able, we  had  better  dig  it  up  at  once  and  say  good-bye 
to  it  forever. 

If  there  is  a  sin,  may  we  not  only  dig  it  up,  but 
stone  it  to  death  in  the  valley  of  Achor.  God  will 
then  go  up  with  us  to  the  battle ;  Ai  will  fall ;  greater 
cities  still  go  down,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  land 
will  tremble  at  our  presence. 


XIII. 

THE  SIFTER  AND  FAN. 

HP  HERE  is  a  great  difference  between  a  sifter  and 
*  fan.  They  do  directly  opposite  things.  The  Bible 
states  that  the  former  is  used  by  the  devil  and  the  lat- 
ter by  Christ.  There  is  never  an  interchange  or  ex- 
change. The  character  of  both  forbid  it,  and  the  work 
both  are  doing  would  not  allow  it. 

The  sifter,  as  we  all  will  recollect  as  children,  was 
filled  by  the  cook  with  meal  and  then  treated  to  a 
rapid  handshaking.  The  result  of  this  was  that  the 
meal  escaped,  and  only  bran  was  left.  This  last 
article,  we  recall,  was  thrown  out  of  the  kitchen-win- 
dow on  the  ground  for  the  chickens  to  peck  at. 

In  like  manner  Satan  takes  a  man  or  woman  and 
sifts  them.  The  idea  is  to  get  all  the  good  out  of  the 
individual  and  leave  only  the  bad;  to  shake  out  the 
meal  and  leave  the  bran.  It  is  a  sickening  sight 
to  see  a  man  undergoing  this  manipulation  of  the 
devil's  sieve,  and  behold  health,  virtue,  truth,  honor, 
purity,  and  every  other  good  thing  gradually  depart- 
ing, until  at  last  nothing  but  the  bran  of  a  wasted  life, 
blighted  reputation,  and  undone  character  is  left.  We 

have  seen  people  who  had  been  so  thoroughly  sifted 

127 


128  HEART  TALKS. 

by  Satan,  so  brought  down  to  bran  alone,  that  it  looked 
like  nothing  remained  for  the  adversary  to  do  but  to 
knock  what  was  left  out  of  the  kitchen-window  of  hell 
into  the  pit  for  devils  to  scratch  and  peck  at. 

The  devil's  sieve  is  a  fearful  thing.  Christ  said 
that  the  great  adversary  endeavored  to  ruin  Peter 
that  way.  "Simon,  Satan  hath  desired  thee  that  he 
might  sift  thee  as  wheat;  but  I  have  prayed  for  thee 
that  thy  faith  fail  not."  In  the  short  time  that  the 
enemy  was  allowed  to  handle  Peter,  he  had  some  ter- 
rible victories  over  him,  and  brought  him  to  the  brink 
of  ruin.  There  are  others  who  do  not  escape  as  did 
the  apostle,  but  are  finally  and  forever  undone. 

The  winnowing  fan  which  Christ  is  represented 
as  using  does  the  direct  opposite  of  the  sifter.  A  pile 
of  wheat,  mixed  with  chaff,  is  laid  on  the  floor,  and  the 
fan  is  turned  upon  it  with  its  strong  air  current.  The 
result  is  that  the  chaff  is  blown  away,  and  the  golden, 
solid  wheat  remains.  The  sifter  got  rid  of  the  meal 
and  kept  the  bran;  the  fan  gets  rid  of  the  chaff  and 
retains  the  wheat. 

This  is  Christ's  plan  and  blessed  loving  work  on 
the  souls  which  belong  to  him.  His  omniscient  eye 
sees  that  in  the  wheat  of  devoted  religious  character 
there  can  be  downright  chaff.  And  he  sees  this  among 
the  sanctified  as  well  as  the  regenerated. 

We  do  not  mean  by  chaff  that  actual  or  inbred  sin 


THE  SIFTER  AND  FAN.  129 

is  left,  but  things  that  are  not  best  or  wise,  things 
that  can  be  removed  or  improved.  Habits,  customs, 
notions,  mannerisms,  odd  ways  in  particular  and  gen- 
eral, and  certain  performances  taken  up,  practiced  and 
exacted  of  others,  that  are  above  the  Word,  beyond 
the  Word,  and  not  in  the  Word. 

It  would  require  a  much  larger  article  than  this 
to  mention  and  describe  the  various  chaffy  things  that 
can  become  mixed  up  in  the  wheat  of  the  Christian 
life,  and  that  should  come  out,  and  that  from  many 
honest,  Christ-like  souls  is  coming  out. 

One  thing  is  certain, — that  we  can  not  pick  this 
chaff  out  of  each  other.  It  would  be  an  endless  job, 
and  one  that  would  be  resented  anyhow.  Meanwhile 
we  would  be  removing  the  trashy  stuff  from  the  life  of 
our  brother,  he  would  be  doing  the  same  office  for  us, 
and  there  might  be  a  misunderstanding.  According 
to  the  Bible,  it  takes  Christ  to  do  this  work.  He  blows 
it  out  with  His  winnowing  fan.  He  wants  all  wheat 
in  His  followers  and  not  a  particle  of  chaff.  How  we 
ought  to  love  Him  for  this,  and  bless  God  for  the 
steady  divine  breath  that  is  to  blow  out  of  our  lives 
every  unwise,  foolish,  and  questionable  thing.  I  repeat 
that  we  can  have  a  sanctified  heart,  and  yet  can  be  im- 
proved in  manners,  habits,  notions,  and  many  other 
particulars.  Against  these  things  Christ,  who  has 
already,  with  His  holy  fire,  burned  up  inbred  sin,  now 


130  HEART  TALKS. 

directs  the  great  winnowing  fan  of  His  grace,  and 
they  go!  Thank  God,  all  of  us  have  both  seen  and 
felt  some  of  them  go ! 

I  know  a  brother  who  was  genuinely  sanctified, 
who  tried  to  drive  people  by  abuse  into  the  blessing 
of  perfect  love.  The  Lord  turned  His  fan  upon  him, 
and  blew  the  cudgel  out  of  his  hands,  and  he  now  tries 
to  persuade  men  into  the  higher  experience.  We 
all  recognize  among  God's  people  a  disposition  to 
exaggerate,  especially  in  description  of  Church  work 
and  revivals.  Every  meeting  is  described  as  a  "tor- 
nado," a  "cyclone"  or  a  "flood."  The  town  is  said 
to  be  "moved  as  never  before,"  to  be  "shaken  from 
center  to  circumference,"  and  "turned  upside  down," 
etc.,  etc.  The  actual  figures  of  conquest  are  not  given. 
Perhaps  they  would  not  exactly  agree  with  the  other 
statements  about  cyclones  and  tornadoes.  The  feel- 
ing left  in  the  mind  after  such  a  letter  is  that  the 
whole  work  has  been  done,  and  nothing  else  is  left 
for  any  one  else  to  do.  The  writer,  in  common  with 
many  others,  has  erred  on  these  lines,  it  being  so  easy 
and  natural  to  think,  when  our  own  hearts  are  on  fire, 
and  a  lot  of  holiness  people  are  shouting  around  us, 
that  the  whole  country  is  surrendering  to  God. 

A  few  months  ago  we  read  a  letter  in  one  of  our 
Church  papers  from  a  young  preacher,  in  which  he 
stated  that  the  whole  southern  part  of  the  State  was 


THE  SIFTER  AND  FAN.  13! 

aroused  about  a  certain  Holiness  College,  and  great 
numbers  of  young  men  were  coming,  etc.,  etc.  The 
southern  part  of  the  State  had  a  population  of  a  mil- 
lion, with  a  large  number  of  towns.  The  young  man 
we  speak  of  had  been  to  two  or  three  small  commu- 
nities, and  yet  wrote  as  he  did.  The  college  register 
thus  far  has  failed  to  record  the  arrival  of  the  southern 
part  of  that  State. 

Against  all  exaggerated  language  Christ  directs 
His  winnowing  fan  with  the  words,  "Let  your  con- 
versation be  yea,  yea,  nay,  nay ;  for  whatsoever  is  more 
than  this  cometh  of  evil." 

Again,  we  know  of  several  godly  people  who 
have  a  way  of  breaking  in  upon  another  person  who 
has  been  called  upon  to  pray  in  public,  and  of  keeping 
up  such  a  verbal  clamor  that  the  one  who  was  asked 
to  lead  in  prayer  can  not  be  heard  at  all.  We  once 
held  a  meeting  where  not  a  single  prayer  was  heard 
for  days  on  account  of  this  strange  interruption.  As 
for  responses  to  prayer  and  ejaculations  of  praise  and 
joy  coming  from  those  around  who  are  listening,  we 
all  like  and  rejoice  in.  But  this  was  a  loud-voiced, 
verbal  drowning  out  of  every  prayer  offered  in  the 
church,  except  that  of  this  honestly  mistaken  brother. 

The  winnowing  fan  needs  to  be  turned  on  this 
unwise  habit,  while  the  apostle  writes,  "Let  all  things 
be  done  in  order." 


132  HEART  TALKS. 

Still  again,  I  meet  a  religious  body  of  people  all 
over  the  land  that  in  prayer  and  exhortation  have 
adopted  a  whine.  As  a  peculiar  nasal  utterance  it 
belongs  to  this  denomination.  I  have  never  heard 
any  one  else  adopt  it  or  try  to  make  it  their  own. 
Once  heard,  it  can  never  be  forgotten.  The  people 
themselves  are  excellent,  and  have  the  solid  wheat 
of  a  good  religious  experience,  but  have  mixed  up  with 
it  this  chaff  of  human  addition.  God  has  given  us 
our  natural  voices,  and  why  we  should  renounce 
them,  so  to  speak,  in  worship,  and  get  to  whining 
the  instant  we  come  into  His  presence  and  com- 
mence praying  to  Him,  I  utterly  fail  to  see.  The 
winnowing  fan  is  certainly  needed  here ;  not  to  remove 
inbred  sin,  for  this  has  been  burned  out  by  the  bap- 
tism with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  fire,  but  to  blow  away 
a  needless,  senseless,  and  hurtful  custom. 

The  writer  knows  a  number  of  God's  sanctified 
children  who  have  placed  themselves  before  this  fan 
of  Christ,  and  said,  Take  out  of  me  and  my  life,  O 
Lord,  everything  that  is  not  best  and  wise.  I  want  to 
be  like  you  in  all  things. 

It  is  certainly  blessed  to  see  the  winnowing- 
process  going  on,  and  to  behold  Ihese  men  and  women 
becoming  more  spiritually  lovely  and  attractive  all  the 
time,  They  get  so  loving,  gentle,  patient,  discreet, 
level-headed,  restful,  and  Christ-like  that  we  rejoice 


THE  SIFTER  AND  FAN.  133 

to  meet  and  be  with  them.  We  find  ourselves  wish- 
ing that  all  of  God's  people  were  like  them ;  fierceness, 
combativeness,  argumentativeness,  offensive  pecu- 
liarities and  mannerisms,  unscriptural  notions  and 
practices  all  given  up,  the  chaff  gone,  and  the  beau- 
tiful, golden  wheat  of  a  modest,  humble,  faithful 
Christian  life  and  character  left  for  hell  to  be  amazed 
at,  earth  to  admire,  and  heaven  to  rejoice  over. 

May  the  good  Lord  turn  His  winnowing  fan  upon 
us  all !  If  we  are  all  wheat,  we  have  nothing  to  dread 
or  lose.  If  we  have  chaff,  it  ought  to  go.  We  wonder 
how  many  will  say  Amen. 


XIV. 
"THE  BATTLE  IS  NOT  YOURS." 

'"PHIS  was  God's  message  to  His  people  when  the 
*  enemy,  in  overwhelming  numbers,  were  arrayed 
against  them.  It  is  a  message  that  needs  to  be  sent 
and  received  to-day  fully  as  much  as  upon  that  morn- 
ing, when  the  forces  encamped  against  Israel  were 
like  grasshoppers  for  multitude. 

The  sentence  of  five  words,  which  forms  the  cap- 
tion of  this  article,  is  susceptible  of  two  applications. 
First,  it  may  come  in  rebuke.  There  are  some  people 
who  act  as  if  the  whole  Church  rested  upon  their 
shoulders.  These  characters  are  found  both  in  the 
ministry  and  laity.  They  go  about  with  pondering 
brows,  anxious  looks,  and  burdened  spirits.  The  care 
of  the  Church  or  Churches  proves  a  crushing  load  to 
them.  To  some  they  appear  to  be  the  door  of  the 
Church,  to  others  they  seem  to  have  the  keys,  and  to 
still  others  they  look  like  they  not  only  run  the  visible 
kingdom  of  Christ,  but  actually  bear  it  up.  To  the 
young  and  uninitiated  these  personages,  with  their 
burdened,  even  oppressed,  appearance,  are  very  awe- 
inspiring. 

The  writer  recalls  a  certain  large  building  in  one 
134 


THE  BATTLE  IS  NOT  YOURS.  135 

of  our  great  cities,  which  has  near  its  foundation  a 
row  of  Satyr-like  figures.  They  are  bowed  down  as 
if  they  were  upholding  the  vast  fabric  above,  when  the 
truth  is,  as  the  architect  will  tell  you,  they  have  only 
the  appearance  of  supporting,  and  really  bear  up 
nothing.  A  number  of  times  we  have  seen  individuals 
in  the  Church,  who  reminded  us  of  these  stone  images. 
They  carry  a  burdened  look,  a  strained  expression  of 
countenance,  as  if  they  could  not  hold  out  much 
longer.  They  bear  themselves  as  if,  through  the  neg- 
lect and  faithlessness  of  others,  great  and  crushing 
burdens  had  been  laid  upon  them,  when  the  truth  was 
that  the  financial  and  religious  welfare  of  the  Church 
did  not  depend  upon  them  at  all.  We  have  all  seen 
this  character  in  the  home,  business-office,  and  many 
other  places ;  but  for  richness  of  expression,  complete- 
ness of  outline,  as  well  as  fullness  of  detail,  we  have 
to  go  to  the  Church  to  behold  the  man.  He  may 
be  a  presiding  elder,  pastor,  steward,  or  Church  mem- 
ber, it  does  not  matter;  the  facial  expression  born 
of  the  imagination  that  a  fearful  responsibility  is  upon 
him,  and  one  out  of  all  proportion  greater  than  that 
which  rests  upon  the  other  members  of  the  Church, 
is  unmistakably  there.  In  addition  can  be  read  in  the 
mystic  handwriting  on  the  countenance  the  inward 
belief  that  he  is  the  only  one  of  the  Lord's  prophets 
now  left  in  the  land,  and  that  if  he  should  die — well, 


136  HEART  TALKS. 

there  is  no  language  powerful  enough  to  describe  the 
extent  of  the  woe  which  would  befall  the  Church  at 
the  loss  of  such  a  servant,  who,  not  content  with  be- 
ing a  pillar,  actually  bears  up  the  pillars  themselves! 
In  a  word,  he  has  unwittingly  made  himself  the  foun- 
dation. 

So  they  all  have  a  "bearing-up"  look.  An  awful 
load,  not  only  of  personal  but  of  general  responsibility, 
seems  to  be  crushing  them  to  the  earth.  They  try 
to  cultivate  a  meek  silence  at  times,  but  it  will  not 
and  does  not  last;  they  must  speak  and  recount  what 
they  have  done,  are  doing,  and  are  going  to  do;  the 
last  being  always  the  greatest  of  the  three.  In  one 
case  I  recall  a  steward  who,  on  one  of  his  monthly 
laudations  of  what  he  had  done  and  suffered  for  Zion, 
ran  out  of  facts  concerning  actual  performances,  and 
said,  "Brethren,  I  can't  even  sleep  at  night  for  think- 
ing of  these  things."  The  "these  things"  to  which  he 
referred  was  a  debt  of  several  hundred  dollars  on 
a  Church  which  never  paid  less  than  fifteen  thousand 
dollars  a  year  for  all  purposes,  and  never  had  a  deficit 
to  report  at  the  Annual  Conference.  The  brother 
knew  this,  but  he  must  have  some  grievance  in  order 
to  be  able  to  give  a  reason  for  the  grief  which  was  in 
him.  The  sadly  amusing  feature  of  it  all  was  that  he 
was  a  well-to-do  man,  and  could  easily  have  paid  the 
bill,  and  not  missed  the  money.  But  he  wanted 


THE  BATTLE  IS  NOT  YOURS.  137 

to  "grieve"  instead  of  "give."  Two  small  letters  make 
a  great  difference  in  words. 

The  grief-stricken  appearance  I  have  beheld  in 
some  Church  officials,  and  the  sighs  I  have  heard 
them  heave,  would  give  them  fame  in  the  world  of 
drama,  and  command  any  price  as  "wailers"  and 
"mourners"  for  funerals  in  the  far-away  East. 

Time  was  in  my  early  ministry  when  I  was  much 
impressed  with  this  class  of  people,  and  thought  every- 
thing rested  upon  them,  that  nothing  would  or  could 
be  more  calamitous  than  the  death  of  these  same 
nervous,  wiry,  jerky,  fussy,  busy,  consequential  indi- 
viduals. 

Little  by  little  I  began  to  see  that  the  Church 
did  not  rest  upon  them;  that  others,  who  were  say- 
ing but  little,  were  really  doing  more,  and  much  more, 
than  these  same  persons,  and  not  only  financially,  but 
in  every  other  way,  for  the  cause  of  Christ. 

Then,  I  have  seen  one  of  these  deluded  beings  die ; 
and  it  was  simply  marvelous  to  note  how  well  God's 
cause  got  along  without  him;  in  fact,  that  an  actual 
sense  of  relief  was  realized.  Only  think  of  it!  Not 
a  jar  was  felt  through  all  the  vast  and  complicated 
machinery  of  the  Church ;  not  a  halt  of  a  single  mo- 
ment upon  the  part  of  God's  mighty  advancing  hosts. 
Multiplied  thousands  were  being  saved  while  he  was 
dying.  Hundreds  of  millions  never  heard  of  him,  and, 


138  HEART  TALKS. 

awful  to  state,  among  the  few  who  knew  him,  no  one 
was  inconsolable  at  his  departure.  And  yet  he  imag- 
ined that  he  was  not  only  important,  but  essential. 

The  expression,  "We  can  not  get  along  without 
him,"  even  when  uttered  in  connection  with  the  best 
and  most  useful  of  men,  is  not  only  untrue,  but  per- 
fectly absurd. 

The  Orientals  had  a  figurative  way  of  conveying 
truth,  which  was  very  powerful.  One  of  their  sym- 
bolic sermons  was  to  thrust  a  finger  into  water,  and 
then,  upon  withdrawing  it,  ask  the  looker-on  to  show 
them  the  hole.  The  lesson  was,  that  just  that  much 
we  would  be  missed  on  the  earth ;  that,  the  instant  we 
were  withdrawn  from  the  walks  of  life,  men  would 
rush  in  instantly,  and  so  fill  our  places ;  we  would  never 
be  missed. 

Let  the  reader  ask  himself  what  physician,  lawyer, 
merchant,  or  preacher  has  arrested  by  his  death  the 
onward  sweep  of  his  profession  or  calling. 

But  the  people  of  whom  we  speak  will  not  be  so 
taught  and  convinced.  They  are  settled  in  the  idea 
that  they,  like  Atlas,  bear  up  everything.  So  they 
go  on  in  their  delusion,  while  their  brethren  also  go 
on,  but  smiling  as  they  go,  at  this  conceit,  which,  if 
it  were  true,  would  wreck  the  Church  with  the  death 
of  every  such  man. 


THE  BATTLE  IS  NOT  YOURS.  139 

But  the  expression,  "The  battle  is  not  yours,"  is 
also  one  of  comfort. 

If  the  battle  is  not  ours,  then  it  is  the  Lord's. 
Here  at  once  we  get  the  consolation,  and  see  the  vic- 
tory. If  God's  people  would  only  allow  this  fact  to 
take  possession  of  mind  and  heart,  what  an  amount 
of  fret  and  anxiety  they  would  be  delivered  from !  In 
the  great  moral  struggle  going  on  around  the  world, 
God  is  leading.  It  is  His  war.  While  He  uses  us, 
it  is  His  power,  truth,  and  presence  which  is  to  win 
the  day  at  last. 

All  of  God's  children  who  have  in  them  a  proper 
concern  for  the  welfare  and  spread  of  His  kingdom 
in  the  world  have  several  blessed  facts  for  their  con- 
solation. 

One  is,  that  God  took  care  of  the  Church  quite  a 
while  before  they  were  born.  He  brought  the  truth 
up  out  of  the  Dark  Ages  when  the  Devil  seemed  to 
have  the  world  in  an  everlasting  grasp.  If  the  Lord 
did  this  when  Bibles  were  scarce  and  faithful  men  few, 
what  reason  for  hope  and  joy  have  we  now,  with  the 
broad  flashlight  of  the  gospel  flung  in  every  direc- 
tion, with  countless  copies  of  the  Scriptures,  and  a 
vast  body  of  consecrated  and  sanctified  men  and 
women  altogether  given  up  to  the  Lord! 

Another  fact  is,  that  the  gospel  will  continue  to 


140  HEART  TALKS. 

roll  on  its  victorious  way  after  we  are  dead.  Elijah 
has  to  go,  but  God  is  getting  Elisha  ready  to  take 
his  place.  George  Fox  is  called  away,  but  John  Wes- 
ley takes  up  the  same  cry  which  died  away  on  the 
Quaker's  whitening  lips.  The  Methodist  Church  be- 
gan to  lose  power,  and  the  Salvation  Army  sprang 
to  the  front  dfter  sinners.  A  cold,  stiff  ecclesiasticism 
creeps  like  death  toward  the  heart  of  the  Church,  and 
God  sweeps  the  holiness  movement  around  the  world. 
So  it  goes.  You  need  not  be  afraid  to  die,  my  brother ; 
draw  up  your  feet,  turn  your  face  to  the  wall,  and  be 
gathered  to  your  fathers.  The  Church  will  manage 
to  get  along  after  you  are  gathered.  The  gospel-car, 
loaded  down  with  happy  passengers,  will  be  rushing 
through  the  land,  while  you,  poor,  dear  heart,  will 
be  gasping  for  breath.  The  old  ship  of  Zion  will  be 
coming  up  the  stream  of  Time,  the  banks  resounding 
with  the  shouts  of  the  redeemed,  while  you  are  being 
lowered  in  the  grave. 

If  a  dead  Christian  could  look  out  of  the  glass 
case  of  his  coffin,  or  take  a  peep  out  of  the  grave  on 
Sunday  morning  after  his  burial,  he  would  be  sur- 
prised to  see  how  many  had  taken  his  place  and  were 
rushing  on  with  the  banner  of  salvation. 

It  was  a  custom  in  Greece,  when  tidings  of  an 
important  nature  were  sent,  for  it  to  be  borne  by  a 
man  with  a  flaming  firebrand.  As  he  sank  exhausted, 


THE  BATTLE  IS  NOT  YOURS.  141 

another  man  caught  it  up  ere  it  fell,  and  so  on,  until  at 
last  the  flambeau,  with  its  figurative  message,  had 
reached  the  point  of  destination.  So  runs  and  falls 
the  gospel  messenger,  and  so  others  quickly  take  up 
the  good  news,  the  tidings  of  great  joy  to  all  people, 
and  have  borne  it  far  away  while  the  dying  Christian 
is  breathing  his  last,  surrounded  by  friends  and  family. 

A  third  consolation  is  the  thought  that,  as  the 
battle  is  the  Lord's,  he  is  bound  to  win. 

Viewed  in  any  light,  there  can  be  no  question 
about  the  matter.  How  can  one  who  is  omnipresent, 
omniscient,  and  omnipotent,  be  overcome?  If  the 
Lord  was  afraid  of  the  issue,  He  could  easily  stop  the 
generation  of  the  human  family  until  we  all  died  out ; 
or  he  could  remove  the  oxygen  from  the  air,  or  send 
a  flood,  or  make  the  earth  open,  and  swallow  us  up 
out  of  sight,  or  with  a  blow  of  His  almighty  hand 
shiver  the  earth  to  pieces,  and  let  us  fall  forever 
through  the  bottomless  space  which  underlies  the 
universe. 

But  God  sees  fit  not  to  defeat  us  by  physical  might, 
but  with  moral  and  spiritual  forces.  It  makes  the 
battle  longer,  but  the  victory  not  the  less  certain.  So 
wonderful. is  His  power  that  He  overrules  everything, 
makes  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise  Him,  and  declares 
that  all  things  shall  work  together  for  good  to  us  if 
we  but  love  Him. 


142  HEART  TALKS. 

More  than  all  that,  the  very  end  of  the  war  has 
been  foreseen  and  described  by  Heaven.  It  is  over- 
whelming victory  for  God  and  His  people,  and  eternal 
disaster  and  irrevocable  defeat  to  Satan  and  his  fol- 
lowers. The  very  language  of  sinners  in  their  fear 
and  despair  at  the  Last  Day  has  been  given,  when 
they  ask  for  mountains  and  rocks  to  fall  on  them,  and 
hide  them  from  the  face  of  Him  who  sits  upon  the 
throne.  A  picture,  taken  of  the  closing  scene,  shows 
the  Devil  with  the  false  prophet  in  hell,  with  all  the 
nations  that  forget  God;  while  Jesus  reigns  from  sun 
to  sun,  holiness  is  everywhere,  and  the  New  Jerusalem 
is  seen  descending  from  the  skies. 

Surely,  in  view  of  all  these  things,  the  child  of 
God  should  be  no  pessimist,  but  look  up,  and  be  glad, 
for  God  is  with  us,  and  the  day  of  earth's  redemption 
draweth  nigh.  yr 


XV. 
THE  TEST  OF  SUCCESS  AND  FAILURE. 

A  MORAL  test  is  not  necessarily  a  temptation. 
•**•  The  Devil  tempts,  while  God  tests  His  people. 
In  those  days,  the  Bible  says,  God  did  tempt  Abraham. 
The  commentators  tell  us,  the  better  reading  is  that 
God  tried  or  tested  Abraham.  The  Scripture  is  clear 
in  the  statement  that  God  tempts  no  man.  More- 
over, our  knowledge  of  Him  precludes  the  idea. 

But  God  can  place  us  in  certain  circumstances  and 
situations,  can  pass  us  through  various  conditions  of 
life,  which  will  reveal  and  declare  who  we  are  and 
where  we  are  in  the  spiritual  life.  These  testings  come 
to  all.  They  vary  somewhat,  yet  are  similar  with 
many.  They  appear  with  remarkable  vividness  in 
Elijah's  life,  and  as  we  study  them,  they  seem  reflec- 
tions or  pictures  of  our  own. 

In  Elijah's  case  we  notice  the  test  of  success. 

The  prophet  had  won  a  great  victory  on  Mount 
Carmel.  The  fire  had  fallen,  he  had  been  vindicated 
and  honored  by  God,  the  people  were  convinced,  and 
the  prophets  of  Baal  had  been  slain  by  hundreds. 
Through  all  this  amazing  success  he  kept  in  his  proper 
place  before  God,  was  humble  and  true  as  ever,  and 

143 


144  HEART  TALKS. 

went  from  this  triumph  to  another  on  the  brow  of  the 
mountain,  where  he  pleaded  with  the  Lord,  and  re- 
ceived rain  for  the  parched  country.  He  stood  the 
test  of  success. 

Not  all  can  stand  it.  Many  have  gone  down  under 
lit,  and  many  more  will  yet  do  so.  Some  Christians 
lose  their  heads  immediately  upon  a  first  clearly- 
marked  success.  Others  run  well  for  a  while,  and  then, 
as  victory  after  victory  comes  to  them  on  different 
lines  of  the  Christian  life,  they  begin  to  falter,  totter, 
and  then  topple  from  their  high  attainments  and  close 
walk  with  God. 

They  went  up  the  ladder  of  temporal  promotion 
too  rapidly.  The  elevation  was  so  sudden,  and  the 
position  so  lofty,  as  to  create  dizziness.  Frequent 
success  in  the  work  of  the  Lord  brought  about  public 
praise,  newspaper  notices,  various  kinds  of  compli- 
ments, which  at  last  sapped  the  strength,  stole  away 
the  humility,  and  destroyed  the  power  of  one  of  God's 
devoted  servants. 

The  harm  was  not  all  done  at  once,  but  spiritual 
people  could  see  the  damage  being  inflicted,  and  be- 
held it  with  intense  sorrow.  The  man,  once  so  hum- 
ble, developed  spiritual  pride  before  he  was  aware  of 
it.  He  can  not  endure  contradiction.  He  finds  it 
difficult  to  pardon  a  criticism  passed  on  himself  or 
work.  He  has  a  keen  relish  for  praise;  it  is  like  in- 


THE  TEST  OF  SUCCESS  AND  FAILURE.  145 

cense  in  his  nostrils.  He  does  not  care  to  hear  others 
complimented ;  it  is  wearisome  to  him.  He  wants  the 
censer  swung  before  him  mainly,  if  not  altogether; 
and  if  it  is  not  done,  he  drops  hints  to  bring  about 
the  swinging  of  the  sweet  thing.  Time  was  that  news- 
paper puffs  and  notices  humbled  him,  but  now  he  care- 
fully cuts  them  out  or  sends  marked  copies  of  the 
paper  to  individuals  or  to  others  papers,  that  the  echo 
of  his  greatness  might  dwell  long  in  the  land. 

He  is  a  spiritually  fallen  man.  He  has  an  idol  in  X" 
his  life,  and  it  is  himself.  He  is  a  self-worshipper.  He  * 
says  that  it  is  not  so,  but  it  is  evident  to  all  that  Christ 
has  really  the  second  place  in  his  life.  He  was  once 
great  in  his  littleness,  but  is  now  little  in  his  greatness. 
The  trouble  is  that  he  does  not  realize  it.  God  knows 
it,  men  see  it,  but  he,  the  fallen  one,  is  the  last  to  rec- 
ognize it.  God,  in  His  goodness,  will  yet  show  His 
servant  these  melancholy  things.  The  pillow  of  the 
Satan-deceived  and  fame-deluded  man  will  yet  be  wet 
with  bitter  tears  over  the  fact  that  he  could  not  stand 
success;  that  he  was  faithful  enough  in  a  humble 
and  obscure  sphere,  but  lost  his  head  completely  when 
elevation  and  promotion  came. 

Few  men  can  stand  success.    All  are  willing  to  risk  ^ 
it,  and  thousands  who  enter  upon  that  condition  get' 
spiritually  hurt,  and,  worse  still,  go  into  backsliding, 
and  some  into  gross  sin. 


10 


146  HEART  TALKS. 

We  recently  heard  some  grave-eyed,  serious-faced 
men  speaking  of  Hobson,  the  hero  of  the  Merrimac. 
They  were  deploring  his  late  conduct  and  the  re- 
markable weakness  he  was  exhibiting.  One  of  them 
said,  "He  could  not  stand  success;  the  flattery  of  a 
nation  was  too  great  for  him."  The  silence  which 
followed  the  remark  was  eloquent  as  well  as  pathetic ; 
all  felt  the  words  of  the  speaker  were  true. 

We  never  hear  a  young  preacher  much  praised, 
but  we  tremble  for  him.  No  one  can  tell  the  harm 
that  has  been  done  here  by  indiscreet  Christian  men 
and  women.  It  is  true  that  the  flattered,  patted,  and 
petted  man  of  God  says  that  he  needs  all  this  kind 
of  word-incense  and  tongue-anointings ;  but  a  glance 
at  the  spiritual  giants  of  the  Bible — Joseph,  Elijah, 
Daniel,  and  Paul — shows  that  they  had  none  of  this 
coddling  and  nursing,  taffying  and  sugar-plumming. 

Few  can  stand  it.  Few  can  be  trusted  on  pin- 
nacles. Few  can  wield  the  scepter  of  any  kind  of 
power  without  making  a  bludgeon  of  it  to  others 
and  finally  a  tripping-stick  for  himself.  Under  the 
strange,  intoxicating  influence  of  public  notice,  public 
applause,  and  the  dizziness  of  high  position, — behold, 
the  simplicity  and  sincerity  of  Christ  is  lost.  The 
humble  man  grows  haughty,  the  once  lowly  child  of 
God  becomes  domineering,  and  the  meek,  obscure 


THE  TEST  OF  SUCCESS  AND  FAILURE.  147 

preacher  in  time  evolves  into  a  dreaded  ecclesiastical 
tyrant  and  autocrat. 

A  friend  of  the  writer  saw  a  man  elected  to  the 
highest  position  in  the  Church.  He  said  that  in  twelve 
hours  the  "swelling"  of  the  man  was  painfully  apparent 
to  his  best  friends. 

Few  can  stand  success  and  power.  Some,  thank 
God,  like  Elijah,  can  do  so ;  may  their  tribe  increase ! 
But  many  can  not ;  down  they  go.  Look  at  them  tot- 
tering already!  See  them  falling!  Hear  the  crash! 
My  God,  have  mercy ! 

A  second  moral  test  is  that  of  failure. 

This  is  the  opposite  of  the  other.  It  is  to  see 
the  work  of  our  hands  fail,  or  apparently  fail.  It  may 
be  a  failure  of  a  single  effort,  a  series  of  efforts,  or  a 
lifetime  work. 

In  Elijah's  case  it  was  the  apparent  defeat  of  the 
greatest  purpose  and  effort  of  his  life.  He  was  look- 
ing for  a  result  that  would  honor  God  and  bless  the 
people.  His  victory  on  Mount  Carmel,  his  triumph 
in  prayer  on  the  brow  of  the  mountain  overlooking 
the  sea,  and  the  destruction  of  Baal's  prophets,  had 
prepared  him  to  expect  the  complete  overthrow  of 
idolatry  in  Israel  and  the  universally-accepted  and 
peaceably-restored  worship  of  God.  To  his  amaze- 
ment this  does  not  follow,  but  instead  he  gets  a  mes- 


148  HEART  TALKS. 

sage  from  Queen  Jezebel  that  she  is  determined  to 
have  his  life,  and  that  speedily.  The  Scripture  tells 
us  that  when  Elijah  heard  that,  "He  went  for  his  life." 
Then  followed  his  dejection  under  the  juniper-tree 
and  his  low  spirits  in  the  cave  on  the  mountain.  In 
his  own  words, — "he  wanted  to  die."  He  who  stood 
the  test  of  success  and  glorious  victory  went  down 
under  the  test  of  temporary  reverse  or  apparent  failure. 

As  a  rule,  a  less  number  lose  spiritual  ground  here 
than  through  the  test  of  success.  Still  many  weaken 
and  go  down  at  this  point,  so  that  the  lesson  is  needed 
to  be  taught  and  the  warning-signal  held  up. 

With  failure  comes  the  falling  away  of  friends.  It 
is  sad  to  say,  and  can  be  said  without  bitterness  or 
cynicism,  that  there  is  a  class  of  admirers  and  follow- 
ers who  are  simply  fair-weather  adherents.  They  can 
go  from  Bethany  to  Jerusalem  with  an  acclaiming 
crowd  with  you,  but  fall  away  in  the  journey  from  the 
Judgment  Hall  to  Calvary.  They  are  enraptured  with 
one's  success,  but  when  the  tide  of  popularity  or  pros- 
perity seems  to  turn,  they  also  turn. 

One  does  not  have  to  live  long  to  see  this  most 
melancholy  feature  of  human  nature.  If  ever  a  man 
needed  comfort  and  sympathy,  it  is  when  adversity 
comes,  when  a  strange  revolution  of  life's  wheel  pulls 
him  down  in  temporal  things,  and  heavy  hands  of 


THE  TEST  OF  SUCCESS  AND  FAILURE.  149 

power  and  influence  are  outstretched  to  keep  him 
down.  Now  is  the  time  for  the  grasp  of  the  hand,  the 
cheery  smile,  the  warm  word  of  love,  the  sympathetic 
visit,  or  the  reassuring  letter.  But  not  always  do  these 
things  come,  and,  worse  still,  from  where  they  might 
have  been  expected. 

This  forsaking,  turning  away,  and  cooling  off 
towards  one  in  misfortune,  has  been  seen  even  in  the 
home.  Men  in  fine  financial  condition  have  had  a 
court  and  deference  paid  them  by  their  families,  which 
they  imagined  to  be  the  outcroppings  of  love  and  de- 
votion; but  when  trouble  came,  and  they  could  not 
do  as  formerly,  they  discovered  a  failure  in  attention 
and  an  absence  of  affection,  which  first  surprised  and 
grieved,  and  then,  as  the  cause  flashed  upon  the  mind, 
shocked  and  hardened  them. 

Here  comes  in,  then,  the  power  of  failure.  It  alters 
our  surroundings,  seems  to  change  people,  shakes 
one's  confidence  in  those  formerly  trusted,  and  so 
opens  the  heart  wide  to  sorrow,  despair,  and  a  pro- 
found spirit  of  skepticism  as  to  many  things  and  all 
people. 

An  additional  feature  of  failure  is  a  certain  lone- 
liness attendant  upon  it.  The  successful  man  is  sought 
after,  the  failing  man  is  let  alone.  Elijah  had  the 
entire  wilderness  to  himself  after  his  rebuff  and  defeat 


150  HEART  TALKS. 

at  Jezreel.  In  like  manner  men  are  allowed  to  have 
solitary  hours,  lonely  days,  and  empty  rooms  after 
failure  comes. 

Let  a  man  fail  in  a  speech  or  sermon,  and  he  will 
be  struck  with  the  fact,  how  few  will  hunt  him  up. 
It  is  the  man  who  carried  everything  before  him,  and 
.who  needs  no  human  comfort,  who  is  surrounded  and 
fairly  covered  up  with  congratulations. 

Let  a  man  lose  his  fortune,  or  his  business  position, 
or  fail  in  a  great  undertaking,  or  come  short  of  what 
was  expected  of  him  by  his  friends,  and  at  once  he 
hears  the  sighing  of  the  wilderness  around  him,  and 
knows  that  in  heart  and  life  he  is  alone. 

This  is  a  crucial  hour,  a  most  wonderful  oppor- 
tunity in  the  character-world,  a  battle-field  for  either 
a  great  victory  or  equally  stupendous  defeat.  What 
shall  it  be?  Will  the  man  rise  or  sink?  Will  he  push 
on  or  stop?  Will  he  rise  superior  to  the  test  or  go 
down  under  it? 

While  it  is  the  soul's  glorious  opportunity,  it  is 
also  Satan's  hour.  Here  he  has  captured  great  num- 
bers, as,  lying  under  the  juniper-tree,  they  said  they 
were  no  better  than  their  fathers,  that  hope  was  in 
vain,  and  they  only  craved  for  themselves  the  privi- 
lege to  die. 

Happy  the  man  who  will  stand  the  test,  push 


THE  TEST  OF  SUCCESS  AND  FAILURE.  151 

on  through  the  desert,  hold  to  his  faith  in  God,  and 
keep  the  sweetness  and  cleanness  of  his  soul  in  spite 
of  everything.  He  shall  come  into  the  "confirmed," 
"strengthened,"  "established,"  "settled"  experience 
which  Paul  writes  about,  and  after  that  obtain  the ' 
crown  of  glory  that  fadeth  not  away. 


XVI. 

THE  TEST  OF  WANT  AND  RELIEF. 

ALL  the  sides  of  a  man's  character  are  not  touched 
•**•  by  the  tests  of  success  and  failure.  There  is  a 
mighty  trying  force  in  loneliness,  and  an  equally 
powerful  one  in  being  thrown  constantly  for  days  or 
months  or  years  with  what  is  called  the  crowd  or  mul- 
titude. Each  peculiar  condition  will  reveal  some 
weakness  of  the  heart,  and  call  for  attention  and  up- 
building at  a  place  where  feebleness  was  not  suspected. 

After  a  while  may  come  the  test  of  want. 

This  means  not  simply  the  loss  of  many  comforts, 
but  positive  need  itself.  This  trial  came  to  Elijah  far 
from  infrequently.  Driven  by  persecution  to  deserts 
and  caves,  comforts,  doubtless,  he  never  knew,  while 
oftentimes  a  bare  subsistence  was  his  lot.  And  there 
were  times  when  his  need  was  so  great  that  it  required 
a  miracle  from  heaven  to  keep  him  from  starvation. 

Elijah  was  the  most  faithful  servant  God  had  in 
Judah  or  Israel,  and  yet  there  was  no  one  who  seemed 
to  have  a  harder  time  in  what  is  called  the  temporali- 
ties of  life.  At  the  time  we  now  write  of,  he  was  dwell- 
ing in  a  cave  far  away  from  towns  and  cities,  and  was 

fed  by  ravens,  and  drank  at  the  brook  which  flowed 

152 


THE  TEST  OF  WANT  AND  RELIEF.  153 

in  front  of  the  cavern.  He  seemed  to  have  had  but 
two  meals  a  day,  and  the  fare  was  not  sumptuous.  Of 
course,  Satan  was  busy  at  this  point,  to  call  the  proph- 
et's attention  to  the  comfortable,  not  to  say  luxurious, 
living  of  the  prophets  of  Baal,  of  the  three  hundred 
whom  Queen  Jezebel  had  fed  at  her  own  table,  while 
he,  God's  servant,  living  the  truth,  and  preaching  the 
truth,  spent  most  of  his  life  in  exile,  suffering,  and 
actual  want. 

One  day  he  noticed  that  the  brook  which  mur- 
mured before  his  hiding-place,  did  not  flow  with  as 
great  volume  as  on  the  preceding  day.  The  follow- 
ing day  it  had  still  diminished,  and  Elijah  saw  it  stead- 
ily lessen,  its  tinkle  weaken,  until  it  became  a  mere 
thread  of  water,  a  trickle,  and  then  finally  a  dry  bed 
of  sand  and  rock. 

There  is  not  the  slightest  intimation  in  the  Book 
that  the  prophet's  faith  failed  in  this  trying  circum- 
stance or  that  he  became  impatient  or  repining.  That 
the  opportunity  was  golden  for  such  a  mental  and 
spiritual  state,  none  can  question.  But  the  man  of 
God  stood  true  to  God  and  himself  through  it  all. 

Not  all,  however,  can  claim  such  a  victory.  It 
is  a  bitter  trial  to  be  needy,  even  when  we  have 
brought  poverty  on  ourselves  by  indolence  or  a  sinful, 
spendthrift  life.  But  there  is  a  keener  pang  sometimes 
in  the  thought  that  our  stripping  and  need  comes 


154  HEART  TALKS. 

while  walking  in  the  ways  of  righteousness.  The  great 
enemy  is  quick  to  call  attention  to  the  fact.  The  soul 
is  requested  to  note  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked,  that 
they  have  all  that  heart  can  wish,  and  spread  them- 
selves like  a  green  bay-tree,  while  the  child  of  God 
has  the  dust  thrown  upon  him  by  their  flying  carriage- 
wheels,  and  in  many  cases  can  not  see  twenty-four 
hours  ahead,  so  far  as  daily  bread  is  concerned. 

It  constitutes  an  experience  never  to  be  forgotten 
to  see  the  brook  of  one's  income  steadily  diminishing 
and  drying  up,  to  hear  the  tinkle  of  temporal  pros- 
perity getting  fainter  with  the  flight  of  each  day, — 
more  than  that,  to  behold  the  gaunt  form  of  Need 
leaning  against  the  door,  looking  in,  and,  later  on, 
walking  in,  and  taking  his  place  in  the  house  as  one 
of  the  family,  his  presence  after  that  being  as  con- 
stantly realized  as  that  of  any  member  of  the  house- 
hold. 

Bishop  Marvin  tells  of  the  profound  impression 
made  upon  him  as  a  child,  by  his  father  and  mother 
looking  together,  one  day,  into  their  almost  emptied 
corn-crib,  and  talking  gloomily  about  the  future.  He 
said,  their  anxious  faces  and  low  voices  rolled  a  burden 
even  on  his  boyish  heart^  and  made  a  solemn  memory 
that  time  had  never  been  able  to  obliterate. 

When  a  Christian,  steady,  straightforward,  and 
true,  spends  his  life  in  an  everlasting  financial  strain 


THE  TEST  OF  WANT  AND  RELIEF.  155 

and  pinch,  and  sees  at  the  same  time  men  of  the  world 
with  their  comfortable  homes  and  easy  incomes,  and 
whose  lives  are  not  such  as  they  should  be,  he  is  going 
through  a  test. 

When  a  preacher,  with  an  inadequate  salary,  one 
on  which  he  finds  it  impossible  to  do  justice  to  his 
children  in  the  way  of  education  and  preparation  for 
life,  looks  across  the  street,  and  sees  a  lawyer,  whose 
beautiful  home  and  grounds  declare  not  only  comfort, 
but  luxury ;  when  he  contrasts  these  happenings  in  his 
mind  with  the  added  thought  that  he  is  doing  far  more 
good  in  the  world  than  the  lawyer,  the  man  is  passing 
through  a  test,  and  a  severe  one  at  that. 

When  an  evangelist  goes  to  a  place,  and  labors 
with  all  his  mind,  soul,  and  strength  for  the  spiritual 
good  of  the  community,  and  sees  scores  of  souls 
saved  and  blessed  under  his  ministry,  and  receives 
far  less  for  the  ten  days'  work  than  some  strolling 
lecturer  with  a  "funny  subject"  obtains  in  a  single 
night's  address,  there  is  a  fine  opportunity  here  for 
repining,  not  to  say  discouragement.  When  this  same 
evangelist,  after  one  month's  hard  gospel  labor,  had 
scarcely  an  amount  above  traveling  expenses  given 
him  for  compensation,  and  landed  at  his  home  on 
Christmas  eve  with  two  dollars  in  his  pocket,  a  very 
great  spiritual  test  was  brought  to  bear  upon  such 
qualities  as  patience,  faith,  and  loyalty  to  a  divine  work. 


156  HEART  TALKS. 

A  letter,  received  from  a  devout  young  Christian 
woman,  contained  such  a  portrayal  of  absolute  want 
in  the  large  family  of  which  she  was  a  member,  of 
the  brook  having  completely  dried  up,  that  the  heart 
literally  ached  as  we  read  the  lines. 

Of  course,  these  conditions  throw  the  life  open 
to  violent  and  persistent  assaults  of  the  Devil,  the 
temptations  being  in  the  direction  of  unbelief,  bitter- 
ness, worldly  pursuits,  compromise  of  principle  and 
character,  and  other  lines  too  numerous  to  mention. 

The  child  of  God  who  can  see  the  brook  diminish, 
and  then  disappear,  whose  bread  comes  by  weight, 
and  day  by  day,  and  as  by  a  miracle,  and  yet  keep 
sweet,  patient,  believing,  and  faithful  in  the  Savior's 
work  all  the  time,  has  about  graduated  in  one  of  the 
highest  schools  in  the  spiritual  life.  He  has  swept  up 
out  of  the  class  of  "The  Thirty,"  and  is  one  of  the 
famous  "Three"  spoken  of  in  the  Old  Testament. 

The  opposite  test  of  want  is  that  of  relief. 

The  idea  we  would  present  is,  that  the  mode  which 
God  often  adopts  to  deliver  the  Christian  in  his  trou- 
bles is  often  as  faith-trying  as  the  condition  of  need 
in  which  he  was  plunged. 

This  thought  is  brought  out  by  considering  the 
manner  in  which  God  relieved  his  servant  Elijah.  It 
was  a  time  of  famine  in  the  land,  and  yet  the  Lord 
did  not  send  the  prophet  to  a  wealthy  man  to  be  taken 


THE  TEST  OF  WANT  AND  RELIEF.  157 

care  of,  but  to  a  poor  widow,  and  she  so  poverty- 
stricken  that  she  had  only  a  handful  of  meal  left  in 
her  barrel.  Again  Elijah  rose  victorious  over  the  new 
test,  and,  believing  it  was  all  right,  told  the  woman 
to  make  the  cake  of  bread  out  of  that  last  meal,  and 
doubt  nothing.  His  mighty  faith  stimulated  and  in- 
vigorated her  sinking  heart,  and  she  did  so.  It  was 
a  wonderful  biscuit  that  she  made  that  day.  It  proved 
to  be  perfectly  abundant  for  the  needs  of  three  people, 
not  only  all  that  day,  but  as  long  as  the  famine  lasted. 
The  reader  can  not  but  recall  occasions  of  distress, 
financial,  spiritual,  and  other  kinds,  where  relief  came 
in  ways  and  methods  that  were  utterly  unexpected. 
The  time,  manner,  and  instrument  are  scarcely  ever 
what  the  tried  one  looked  for,  and  in  that  fact  we  be- 
hold God  even  in  the  hour  of  deliverance  quickening 
and  developing  faith  in  the  soul.  Man  in  his  wisdom 
would  not  have  conceived  of  succor  in  that  way; 
reason  would  not  have  planned  it  in  such  a  fashion. 
The  deliverance  of  God,  like  all  His  other  tests,  is  to 
intensify  and  strengthen  faith.  God  is  pledged  to  re- 
lieve his  child,  but  the  method  and  time  is  of  Divine 
selection,  and  with  every  repetition  is  bound  to 
strengthen  the  man's  confidence  in  the  love  and  faith- 
fulness of  the  Almighty.  Besides,  the  waiting  itself 
develops  faith.  Who  would  have  dreamed  that  the 
Lord  would  have  commanded  the  poorest  woman  in 


158  HEART  TALKS. 

the  country  to  take  care  of  His  servant?  But  He  did 
so,  and  the  method  of  relief  was  an  overwhelming 
argument  and  proof  of  God's  ability  to  provide  for 
His  people  in  the  most  discouraging  circumstances, 
and  so  an  inspiration  to  faith  and  perfect  soul-restful- 
ness.  How  could  a  man  doubt  after  such  an  unmis- 
takably providential  dealing? 

A  Christian  woman,  brought  to  sore  straits,  and 
almost  yielding  to  despair,  had  to  be  comforted,  and 
faith  in  God  renewed.  The  agency  the  Lord  used  to 
revive  and  restore  His  child  was  the  sight  of  a  sparrow 
hopping  about  on  the  snow-covered  ground.  In- 
stantly the  words  of  Christ  rushed  over  her,  "Your 
heavenly  Father  feedeth  them — are  ye  not  much  bet- 
ter than  they?"  The  revulsion  of  feeling  was  com- 
plete as,  with  ascendant  faith  in  her  heart,  and  happy 
tears  in  her  eyes,  she  murmured,  "If  He  cares  for 
sparrows,  how  much  more  will  He  care  for  me !" 

One  of  the  most  gifted  preachers  in  the  South, 
Dr.  C.  K.  Marshall,  had  suddenly  lost  two  beautiful 
children.  He  and  his  wife  were  prostrated  under  the 
blow.  In  the  very  blackest  day  of  their  sorrow  they 
were,  one  morning,  in  their  bedroom,  too  stunned 
and  heartsick  to  take  up  the  simplest  duty.  How, 
now,  shall  they  be  helped?  Who  is  qualified  to  talk 
to  and  help  this  prince  of  pulpit  orators,  who  knew 
beforehand  all  that  any  one  could  say  to  him? 


THE  TEST  OF  WANT  AND  RELIEF.  159 

The  strangeness  of  God's  methods  of  relief  is  again 
seen  in  the  way  He  remembered  His  gifted  servant. 
Prominent,  learned,  and  cultivated  people  had  come 
and  gone,  with  their  conversations,  prayers,  expres- 
sions of  sympathy,  and  counsel.  All  had  failed.  One 
day  God  sent  a  poor  old  colored  washerwoman,  who, 
standing  at  the  foot  of  the  bed,  and  looking  down 
with  streaming  eyes  and  kindling  face  upon  the  pros- 
trate man  and  his  wife  by  his  side,  so  held  up  the  duty 
of  submission  to  God,  the  certainty  of  reunion  in 
heaven,  and,  above  all,  the  fact  of  an  ever-presentf 
loving,  sympathetic  Christ,  that  the  fountains  of  the 
deep  were  broken  up  in  the  souls  of  the  two  she  ad- 
dressed, the  stony  feeling  was  swept  away,  a  tide  of 
sweetest  spiritual  consolation  rilled  their  hearts,  and 
life,  with  its  burdens  and  duties,  was  taken  up  from 
that  hour  with  a  comfort  and  power  never  before 
realized.  The  instrument  of  relief  was  a  negro  woman, 
poor,  unlettered,  and  unknown  to  the  world,  but  well 
known  to  God  and  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost. 

We  heard  a  gentleman  say  in  Alabama,  a  couple 
of  years  ago,  that  he  became  convicted  for  his  sins  at  a 
meeting,  and  there  came  a  night  when  he  was  so  bur- 
dened that  he  thought  he  would  go  wild  with  grief  and 
despair.  The  services  were  over,  the  meeting  had 
ended,  all  in  the  household  were  asleep,  and  he  tossed, 
wakeful  and  miserable,  upon  his  bed.  By  his  side, 


160  HEART  TALKS. 

sound  asleep,  was  a  tobacco-chewing,  backslidden 
preacher.  There  was  no  need  of  waking  him  up,  for 
he  himself  was  spiritually  lapsed  and  dead.  While 
thus  situated,  who  but  God  could  give  relief?  It  was 
a  summer  night,  the  windows  were  open,  and  the  katy- 
dids were  singing  by  scores  in  the  trees.  Suddenly 
God  made  the  choral  chirp  or  song  sound  exactly  like 
"Come  to  Jesus,"  "Come  to  Jesus."  With  a  burst  of 
tears  the  man  cried  out,  "I  will,"  fell  upon  his  knees 
by  the  bedside,  and  was  instantly  saved. 

In  the  first  year  of  his  ministry,  the  writer,  like 
many  other  preachers,  had  a  very  hard  time  financially. 
He  saw  the  brook  get  smaller  every  day,  and  finally, 
after  living  on  bread  alone  for  several  days,  saw  even 
that  give  out.  The  weather,  also,  was  bitter  cold,  and 
his  coal  supply  was  exhausted.  As  the  town  in  which 
he  lived  was  not  on  his  circuit,  there  was  no  one  to 
look  to  or  call  on.  He  had  well-to-do  men  on  his 
work,  but  they,  in  the  rush  of  their  own  life  and  busi- 
ness, had  overlooked  him.  What  would  God  do  in 
this  case? 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  young 
preacher,  with  a  perfectly  empty  storeroom  in  his 
house,  knelt  down  before  his  stove,  and  cast  in  the  last 
lump  of  coal  he  had.  Without  rising,  he  dropped  his 
face  in  his  hands,  and  said,  with  tears  in  his  voice  as 


THE  TEST  OF  WANT  AND  RELIEF.  l6l 

well  as  eyes,  "Lord,  I  will  trust  you,"  when  suddenly 
there  was  a  knock  at  the  front  door  of  the  cottage 
home,  and  on  the  doorstep  stood  a  poor  farmer's  boy. 
He  said,  with  a  kind  voice,  but  in  a  bashful  way,  to  the 
preacher : 

"I  have  just  sold  the  bale  of  cotton  I  made  this 
year,  and  have  brought  you  four  dollars.  I  have 
heard  you  preach  several  times,  and  want  to  help 
you." 

Doubtless  the  young  man  wondered,  as  he  turned 
away,  why  the  preacher's  voice  was  so  broken  as  he 
thanked  him,  and  why  tears  should  fall  over  such  a 
small  present.  But  it  was  not  small  in  the  sight  of 
God  or  of  the  man  benefitted.  Moreover,  the  preacher 
saw  back  of  the  brown  hand  of  the  country-boy  the 
white  hand  of  Christ.  He  was  at  His  old  work  of 
breaking  bread.  Then  was  the  Scripture  verified, 
"And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  Elijah,  say- 
ing, Arise,  get  thee  to  Zarephath,  and  dwell  there; 
behold,  I  have  commanded  a  widow  woman  there  to 
sustain  thee." 

May  the  Lord  grant  us  to  be  as  faithful  under 
the  two  tests  of  want  and  relief  as  was  His  servant 
Elijah !  And  for  our  additional  strength  and  comfort 
may  we  not  forget  that  Christ  was  brought  into  want, 
and  had  the  Devil  to  whisper  to  Him  in  the  wilder- 


1 62  HEART  TALKS. 

ness,  "Why  can  not  these  stones  be  turned  into 
bread?"  He  stood  the  test  to  the  end,  even  forty  days ; 
and  then  came  the  relief.  It  was  wonderful.  The 
Bible  says  that  "Angels  came  and  ministered  unto 
him."  The  same  will  be  done  to  us  if  we  abide  in 
Christ  and  remain  faithful. 


XVII. 
THE  WITHERED  HAND. 

HP  HE  hand  is  king  among  the  members.  It  is 
*•  hardly  possible  to  overrate  its  value  to  the  body. 
If  the  eyes  fail,  the  hand  becomes,  through  touch,  a 
second  sight ;  if  the  tongue  is  dumb,  the  hand,  through 
signs  and  gesticulation,  furnishes  not  only  words,  but 
a  language  itself.  Oratory  without  the  hand  is  almost 
like  a  bird  without  wings,  while  the  great  body  of 
musical  instruments,  thus  deprived,  become  nothing 
but  pieces  of  furniture. 

But  there  are  other  offices  of  the  hand,  which, 
when  we  apply  to  the  spiritual  life,  will  add  a  pain- 
ful interest  to  the  spectacle  presented  by  the  Gospel 
in  the  words  that,  in  the  congregation  listening  to 
Christ,  there  was  a  man  whose  hand  was  withered. 
This  meant  much,  when  viewed  alone  in  a  physical 
sense,  but  with  a  spiritual  application,  a  far  greater 
trouble  and  calamity  is  prevented. 

There  are  many  withered  hands  in  Christian  con- 
gregations and  assemblies  to-day.  As  the  lame  man 
lay  at  the  Beautiful  Gate,  and  the  palsied  man  was 
stretched  by  the  Pool  of  Bethesda,  so  these  withered 

ones  are  in  the  Church,  under  the  wings  of  the  cher- 

163 


1 64  HEART  TALKS. 

ubim,  and  in  the  immediate  presence  of  the  God  of 
grace,  love,  and  power. 

There  are  a  thousand  blessed  and  beautiful  things 
these  people  'could  do  with  their  hands  if  they  were 
not  withered.  Some  have  never  done  anything; 
others  were  once  useful,  but  have  ceased  doing.  The 
sinner's  hand  and  the  backslider's  hand  are  wonder- 
fully alike  in  the  fact  that  just  now  both  are  lifeless 
and  powerless.  One  was  always  so;  the  other  was 
healed  for  a  season,  for  a  while  did  great  good,  and 
then  something  happened,  known  to  God  and  them- 
selves, and  now,  although  still  in  the  house  of  wor- 
ship, they  are  present  with  a  withered  hand. 

We  once  knew  a  lady  whose  right  hand  became 
paralyzed.  She  carried  it  on  a  pillow.  It  was  smooth 
and  plump,  but  had  a  dead  white  look  that  was  corpse- 
like.  This  useless,  lifeless  hand  was  literally  loaded 
with  diamonds  and  emerald  rings.  We  never  looked 
upon  the  helpless  member,  covered  with  sparkling 
jewels,  without  a  sense  of  pain,  as  well  as  disgust. 
And  it  is  with  no  pleasant  sensation  we  look  upon  the 
beautiful,  well-kept,  and  even  jeweled  hands  in  the 
Church,  and  think  of  the  little  good  they  are  doing 
for  Christ  in  this  world.  Another  dead  thing  is  loaded 
down  with  gems ! 

One  office  of  the  spiritual  hand  is,  to  give  the 
grasp  of  interest  and  love. 


THE   WITHERED  HAND.  165 

It  would  be  impossible  to  estimate  the  good  which 
has  been  done  by  such  a  clasp.  It  is  a  means  of  grace 
to  both  parties.  Men  and  women  can  date  the  great 
moral  change  of  their  lives  to  such  a  cordial  grasp  of 
the  hand.  Such  a  pressure  given  the  writer,  when 
he  had  turned  his  back  on  the  world,  was  like  a  great 
influx  of  strength  to  his  soul.  And  yet  this  needed 
work  of  the  hand  is  lacking  in  so  many  places  because 
it  is  withered. 

Another  office  of  the  hand  is,  to  uplift  the  fallen. 

There  are  many  hands  and  weapons  lifted  to  push 
and  knock  people  down  who  are  treading  the  way  of 
life.  And  there  are  hands  to  keep  them  down.  And 
then,  thank  God,  there  are  hands  to  lift  men  up.  They 
are  few  in  comparison  with  the  others,  but  they  exist 
for  all  that. 

It  is  always  counted  a  noble  act  for  a  man  to  pluck 
one  from  the  fire  or  the  waves,  or  to  deliver  from  any 
great  physical  danger.  Men  commemorate  such  deeds 
in  marble,  in  medals,  and  in  song,  oration,  and  book. 
The  land  resounds  with  the  achievement  in  which  a 
hand  went  down,  and  a  human  life  came  up. 

There  are  greater  dangers  than  fire  and  flood; 
and  mightier  perils  than  falling  buildings  and  plung- 
ing derailed  trains;  and  greater  despairs  born  in  the 
heart  than  that  of  feeling  a  vessel  going  down  in  mid- 
ocean,  or  beholding  the  flames  cutting  off  all  hope 


166  HEART  TALKS. 

of  escape  from  a  burning  building.  There  are  such 
things  as  hopeless  poverty,  present  crushing  want, 
profound  moral  mistakes,  sins  committed,  character 
wrecked,  reputation  gone,  conscience  on  fire,  and  dev- 
ils goading  the  heart  to  desperation.  Where  one  sinks 
in  the  sea,  or  is  ingulfed  in  blazing  houses,  thousands 
are  going  down  here,  and  the  sad  thought  is,  that  they 
would  not  have  gone  down  if  there  had  not  been  so 
many  withered  hands  in  the  Church. 

We  knew  a  man  who  had  a  number  of  disasters 
befall  him.  Finally,  one  morning,  a  greater  trouble 
than  all,  which  had  gone  before,  befell  him  in  his  busi- 
ness. Stunned,  heartsick,  despairing,  he  took  the 
street-cars  for  home.  On  the  cars  he  met  a  friend 
and  member  of  the  Church,  who  noticed  his  sorrow, 
but  said  nothing.  He  reached  home,  and  almost 
staggered  into  his  wife's  room,  hungry  for  a  look  and 
word  and  grasp  of  sympathy  and  love.  The  wife  was 
so  absorbed  in  her  young  baby  that  she  had  scarcely 
a  glance  for  her  wretched  husband.  He  told  her  that 
he  was  in  great  distress,  and  her  cold  reply  was  to 
go  in  the  next  room,  and  lie  down.  A  hand-clasp  of 
love  and  pity  would  have  saved  him  even  then,  but  it 
did  not  come.  He  was  married  to  a  woman  who  had 
a  withered  hand  when  it  came  to  spiritual  help.  He, 
with  a  groan,  walked  into  the  next  room,  and  com- 
mitted suicide. 


THE   WITHERED  HAND.  167 

Few  active,  devoted  workers  but  have  thrilling 
histories  to  relate  of  timely  help  that,  under  God,  they 
were  able  to  extend,  and  that  prevented  desperate 
deeds,  robbed  hell  of  a  victim,  and  added  a  new  citizen 
to  the  kingdom  of  God.  Look  on  us,  said  Peter  to  the 
lame  man,  and  at  the  same  time  gave  him  his  hand, 
and  Luke  says,  the  afflicted  one  leaped  to  his  feet. 
Save  us  from  a  hand  that  is  idly  folded  into  its 
fellow-palm,  and  coddled  in  its  deathlikeness  on  a 
pillow,  and  gemmed  when  it  is  doing  nothing  for 
God  or  man  worth  a  copper  cent.  Give  us  the 
hand  that  can  reach  downward,  and  get  hold  of  a 
despairing  heart  and  sinking  life,  and  lift  them  up, 
and  present  them  to  God.  Such  a  hand  Christ  carried 
with  Him,  and  such  a  hand  we  should  all  pray  to  pos- 
sess. 

A  third  office  of  the  hand  is,  to  give. 

The  sight  of  a  woman  stopping  on  the  street  to 
give  to  a  beggar  has  always  warmed  my  heart.  The 
spectacle  of  a  liberal  man  giving  his  gold,  silver,  and 
bank-notes  to  a  worthy  cause  is  always  an  uplifting 
sight.  The  human  race  is  united  in  condemnation  and 
disgust  of  a  miser,  and  all  agree  in  admiring  and  prais- 
ing the  generous  and  princely  giver.  No  statue  is  built 
for  an  avaricious  man  who  hoarded  and  lived  for  him- 
self;  but  the  man  whose  heart-throbs  broke  the  fasten- 
ings of  his  front  door,  and  the  latch  of  his  gate,  and 


1 68  HEART  TALKS. 

helped  the  outside  world  in  its  need  and  distress  as 
God  gave  him  ability, — this  is  the  man  whose  name 
is  pronounced  with  love  and  gratitude,  and  whose  life 
is  honored  everywhere.  He  has  built  monuments  for 
himself  in  churches,  colleges,  and  good  institutions 
of  various  kinds.  The  tears  which  he  dried  by  his 
benefactions  to  the  poor  will  reappear,  transformed 
into  flashing  gems,  that  will  deck  his  crown  at  the 
Last  Day.  The  blessings  he  receives  from  countless 
lips  will  be  woven  into  a  marvelous  robe  of  glory 
for  him  in  the  coming  world. 

Few  know  how  to  give.  The  hand  is  withered. 
The  man  can  not  get  his  fingers  into  his  pocket,  and 
has  no  strength  to  draw  out  his  purse,  or  to  extract 
coins  and  bills  from  its  folds.  Poor,  lifeless  member 
that  can  not  respond  to  the  call  which  comes  up  from 
starving  people  in  our  alleys  for  bread  and  coal,  and 
from  the  jungles  of  India  and  Africa  for  gospel  light 
and  salvation ! 

A  fourth  office  of  the  hand  is,  to  supplicate  in 
prayer  to  God,  and  bring  down  the  power  of  Heaven 
upon  the  people. 

We  naturally  fold  or  clasp  the  hands  when  we  pray, 
and  often  they  are  uplifted  in  supplication.  The  more 
earnest  the  petition  becomes,  the  more  the  hand  is 
used.  We  have  all  seen  such  hands.  There  have 
been  times  that  we  have  beheld  them  over  the  heads 


THE   WITHERED  HAND.  169 

ot  a  congregation,  when  they  reminded  us  of  banners, 
leading  on  to  battle  and  victory.  Some  of  them  would 
get  hold  of  the  throne,  and  would  bring  down  the 
Spirit  upon  the  audience  in  mighty  power.  There 
were  no  pillars  and  galleries  lined  and  loaded  with  such 
spiritual  difficulty  and  opposition  but  they  could,  by 
the  might  of  those  hands  of  prayer,  bring  the  whole 
thing  down  before  God  with  a  perfect  crash. 

How  we  bless  God  for  these  hands  of  prayer !  We 
see  them  in  many  places,  at  the  sick-bed,  dying-bed, 
family  altar,  Sunday-school,  prayer-meeting,  and 
Church  service.  They  are  barricades  between  souls 
and  ruin,  and  they,  at  the  same  time,  are  great  levers 
to  pry  men  and  women  out  of  sin  and  despair  into 
hope  and  righteousness. 

It  is  said  of  Stonewall  Jackson  that  he  could  be 
seen,  during  the  raging  of  the  battle,  with  his  head 
bowed  and  right  hand  uplifted  in  prayer,  as  he  gal- 
loped up  and  down  in  front  of  firing  and  charging 
lines.  Who  wonders  at  his  victories?  God  would  not 
let  anything  override  that  lifted  hand.  And  it  has 
seemed  to  the  writer  that,  while  God  intended  to 
emancipate  the  slave  in  the  Civil  War,  yet  He  had 
to  bury  that  man  before  He  could  let  the  invading 
army  roll  on  to  accomplish  the  great  design.  God 
honors  the  uplifted  hand. 

When  a  certain  battle  took  place  between  the  Is- 


170  HEART  TALKS. 

raelites  and  one  of  their  powerful  enemies,  the  Bible 
says  that  Moses  went  up  on  a  mountain,  and  lifted  his 
hands  in  prayer.  The  Scripture  adds  that,  when  his 
hands  drooped,  Amalek  prevailed,  but  when  they  were 
steady  in  their  uplifted  position,  Israel  prevailed.  The 
efficacy  of  fervent,  importuning  prayer  is  plainly 
taught  here  in  this  striking  occurrence. 

In  view  of  all -this,  how  exceedingly  melancholy 
it  is  to  see  the  withered  hands  in  the  Church !  They 
are  busy  in  Church  festivals,  they  can  clap  an  elegant 
approval  of  some  song  in  a  social  reception,  but  they 
hang  pale  and  lifeless  when  we  enter  the  realm  of 
prayer  and  importunate  pleadings  for  salvation,  full 
salvation,  and  the  mighty  power  of  God  to  come  upon 
the  people. 

What  a  time  we  would  have,  and  how  the  king- 
dom of  hell  would  be  shaken,  if  all  the  hands,  now 
numbered  as  Christian,  could  be  restored  and  filled 
with  life  and  power  as  we  have  mentioned,  and  be 
lifted  triumphantly  to  the  skies !  Who  doubts,  if  this 
were  done,  Israel  would  prevail,  and  sin  and  Satan 
would  go  down  everywhere? 

Christ's  remedy  for  the  withered  hand  is  to  stretch 
it  forth.  This  is  what  He  told  the  man  thus  afflicted 
before  him,  and  he,  in  the  effort  to  obey,  suddenly  felt 
life  and  strength  rush  into  the  dead  member. 

If  the  withered  hand  is  that  of  the  unconverted 


THE   WITHERED  HAND.  17 1 

man,  the  thing  to  do  is  to  fix  the  eyes  on  Christ,  and 
try  to  do  with  the  paralyzed  soul  what  He  commands 
to  be  done. 

If  the  hand  has  become  withered  from  disuse  or 
sin,  and  is  that  of  the  backslider,  then  sin  is  to  be  re- 
nounced, and  the  long  unused  powers  of  the  life  must 
be  dedicated  again  to  God,  and  the  effort  to  obey  in 
all  things  be  made,  while  the  eye  all  the  while  is  stead- 
ily fixed  on  Christ. 

The  repentance  of  the  backslider,  whether  he  has 
lapsed  in  the  regenerated  or  sanctified  life,  is  to  do 
the  first  works,  take  up  neglected  duties,  and  obey 
God  in  every  particular.  The  heart  is  sick,  and  the 
hand  is  heavy,  but  He  who  made  us  bids  the  drooping- 
hearted  man  to  stretch  forth  the  withered  hand.  Re- 
turn to  forsaken  fields  of  duty,  resume  the  old-time 
benevolences,  go  to  helping  and  assisting  the  needy 
and  fallen,  invade  the  realms  of  importunate  prayer 
again,  give  heart,  tongue,  foot,  hand,  and  voice 
once  more  fully  to  God.  In  a  word,  with  eyes  fixed 
on  Christ,  stretch  forth  the  withered  hand. 

Reason  will  say,  it  is  hopeless.  Feeling  may  urge 
you  to  wait  for  more  emotion.  Despair  may  whisper, 
nothing  will  come  of  it ;  and  the  Devil  may  tempt  you 
not  to  do  so,  but  Jesus  says,  stretch  it  forth.  So,  in 
His  beloved  name,  do  it !  The  instant  that  you  do  so, 
healing  life,  restoration,  joy,  and  blessedness  will  rush 


172  HEART  TALKS. 

into  the  spirit,  and  another  being  will  be  seen  who  has 
a  tongue  to  praise  God,  a  foot  to  leap  at  His  bidding, 
and  a  hand,  withered  no  longer,  but  able  to  lift  up 
the  fallen,  give  freely  to  the  needy,  and  pull  down  the 
blessings  of  Heaven  upon  hundreds  and  thousands 
of  struggling  immortal  souls. 


XVIII. 
THE  SMITTEN  MOUTH. 

PAUL,  had  been  arrested  by  ecclesiastical  authority, 
and  was  standing  before  the  Sanhedrim  under 
the  charge  of  being  an  enemy  to  the  Church.  Being 
allowed  to  speak  for  himself,  he  said,  "Men  and  breth- 
ren, I  have  lived  in  all  good  conscience  before  God 
until  this  day."  This  was  a  first-class  experience,  and 
one  that  few  can  truly  claim  as  their  own,  and  yet  it 
was  instantly  met  with  the  loud,  harsh  command  of 
the  high  priest,  "Smite  him  on  the  mouth !" 

It  would  seem  from  this  that  an  experience  of  a 
high  order  was  not  relished  by  the  scribes  and  doctors 
of  the  temple.  Perhaps  there  is  an  element  of  con- 
demnation in  the  relation  of  high  spiritual  attainment 
or  obtaimnent  to  religious  people  who  have  degener- 
ated into  men  of  Church  affairs,  whose  eyes  have  been 
diverted  from  the  Spirit  in  the  wheels  to  the  wheels 
themselves.  The  Sanhedrim  lived  for  the  machinery, 
but  Paul  had  seen  "a  man's  hand  in  the  wheels."  It 
had  a  scar  in  the  palm.  To  say  that  he  had  beheld 
more  than  the  high  priest  and  the  elders,  was  not  only 

presumptuous,  but  unpardonable,  and  called  at  once 

J73 


174  HEART  TALKS. 

for  a  crushing  blow  on  the  lips  which  had  given  such 
umbrage. 

It  is  an  old  offense  and  an  old  punishment.  Christ 
Himself,  long  before  Paul's  mishap,  had  in  like  man- 
ner outraged  the  same  high  ecclesiastical  circle,  and 
received  a  similar  cruel  blow  upon  His  mouth.  And 
yet  He  had  simply  declared  the  truth  in  every  word 
which  He  had  uttered. 

It  seems  that  some  men  do  not  want  to  hear  the 
truth,  or  anyhow  the  whole  truth.  They  live  obvi- 
ously on  lower  planes  of  the  spiritual  life,  and  yet 
would  speak  advisedly  about  the  higher  planes.  Un- 
der the  plea  of  attending  to  the  "wheels,"  to  the  va- 
rious Sanhedrim  meetings  of  the  Church,  they  have 
overlooked  the  privilege,  duty,  and  necessity  of  wait- 
ing ten  days  in  humble  supplication  and  expectancy 
before  God  in  the  upper  room.  Giving  only  a  few 
-,  minutes  of  each  day  to  God  in  real  prayer  on  their 
knees,  they  feel  perfectly  competent  to  sit  in  judgment 
upon  servants  of  God  who  daily  pray  from  three  to  four 
hours  upon  their  faces.  Living  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountain,  they  indulge  in  smiles  and  considerable 
criticism  of  one  who  arises  in  the  camp,  and  speaks 
of  a  fire-encircled  Summit,  where  blessed  truths  were 
engraven  by  God's  finger  on  the  tables  of  the  heart. 
They  overlook  the  spiritual  meaning  in  the  toilsome 
ascent  of  the  mountain,  the  loneliness  of  the  top,  the 


THE  SMITTEN  MOUTH.  175 

waiting  for  days  on  God  to  reveal  Himself.  In  a  word, 
they  neglect  the  conditions  of  obtaining  Divine  mani- 
festations and  blessings,  and  yet  cry  out  against  the 
statements  of  those  who  have  fully  obeyed  these  higher 
demands  of  the  gospel. 

If  the  Christian,  descending  to  the  camp  from  the 
fire-crowned  mount,  would  only  wear  a  veil,  or  if  he 
would  live  his  experience  without  any  oral  testimony, 
all  would  be  well.  It  is  the  tongue  that  seems  to  hurt 
so  in  certain  circles.  Therefore,  be  it  resolved,  that, 
whosoever  shall  claim  that  he  has  received  from 
Heaven  anything  different  from,  or  superior  to,  the 
ecclesiastical  circles  of  his  village,  town,  or  city, — be- 
hold !  he  shall  be  smitten  at  once  upon  the  mouth.  Be 
it,  also,  resolved  that,  whosoever  shall  strike  this  same 
offender  with  weapons  of  ridicule,  misrepresentation, 
and  oppression,  he  shall  be  counted  to  have  done  the 
Church  a  kindness,  and  rendered  a  service  to  God. 

So  the  smiting  goes  on. 

The  sound  of  the  blows  are  all  over  the  land.  The 
last  few  years  reveal  a  vision  of  blood.  Clenched  hands 
are  lifted,  and  fall  with  sickening  thud  upon  mouths 
testifying  to  the  truth ;  and  the  blood  spurts. 

What  if  this  is  a  figure?  Which  is  the  more  pain- 
ful, a  blow  on  the  face,  or  private  letters,  published 
articles,  and  public  deliverances  where  ridicule  and 
unjust  condemnation  abound,  and  the  thing  struck  at 


176  HEART  TALKS. 

is  not  the  face,  but  the  man's  reputation,  influence, 
standing,  work,  and  happiness.  The  bruised  face  will 
be  well  in  a  day  or  so ;  but  what  about  the  heart  and 
life  that  have  been  struck?  A  cool  linen  bandage  may 
heal  the  one;  but  who  can  undo  the  hurt  of  a  written 
or  printed  lie?  Can  the  writer  himself  do  it?  Who 
is  willing  to  undertake  such  a  journey  and  such  a  task, 
where  the  paper  containing  the  misrepresentation  or 
fabrication  has  a  circulation  of  from  ten  thousand  to 
five  hundred  thousand  copies? 

This  slayer  of  his  brother  forgets  that  God  asked 
Cain  where  his  brother  Abel  was.  This  smiter  of  the 
Christian  testifier  forgets  that  God  watches  the  fall 
of  a  sparrow,  much  more  that  of  a  falling  hand,  whose 
destination  is  a  mouth  that  God  made,  and  that  is 
declaring  what  God,  in  His  glorious  power,  has  done 
and  can  do  for  the  soul.  He  has  also  forgotten  that 
God  is  a  just  God,  and  that  this  very  fact  of  Divine 
justice  and  judgment  will  close  the  windows  and  doors 
of  heaven  upon  him,  and  transform  the  sky  into  an 
impenetrable  ceiling  of  brass.  Prayer,  like  smoke,  is 
driven  back  into  the  eyes  of  such  a  man,  and  commu- 
nion with  heaven  without  repentance  becomes  im- 
possible. 

In  a  word,  this  man,  under  a  closed  heaven,  is 
now  in  fine  condition  to  misunderstand,  and  even^be 


THE  SMITTEN  MOUTH.  177 

wrathful  with  a  child  of  God  who  speaks  of  open  skies, 
descending  doves,  and  flaming  tongues  of  fire. 

So  it  comes  to  pass  that,  look  when  and  where  we 
will,  there  is  a  vision  of  clenched  hands,  smitten 
mouths,  and  spurting  blood.  Blood  is  everywhere ! 

It  is  an  age  of  blood-flowing,  not  simply  in  the 
military  world,  where  swords  and  cannon  are  used, 
but  in  the  after-history  of  investigation,  where  no  po- 
sition of  responsibility  and  prominence  will  save  a 
man  from  violent  attacks.  The  vision  of  blood  is  in 
the  political  world,  where  one  party  spends  most  of 
its  time  in  belaboring  the  other.  It  is  in  the  com- 
mercial world,  where,  with  every  conceivable  art,  strat- 
agem, and  power,  individuals  as  well  as  corporations 
are  trying  to  undo  and  destroy  some  real  or  fancied 
opponent.  It  is  in  the  literary  world,  where  criticism 
is  as  keen  as  the  blade  of  the  guillotine,  and  as  pitiless 
and  unjust  as  the  men  who  ran  that  instrument  of 
death  in  the  Reign  of  Terror. 

When  we  come  to  the  ecclesiastical  world,  the 
Church  life,  and,  closer  still,  to  the  Christian  life,  we 
would  expect  and  crave  to  see  something  different 
and  better.  But  the  vision  of  blood  remains.  Angry, 
clenched  hands  and  crimsoned  mouths  abound.  Re- 
ligious denominations  are  still  seen  firing  at  each 
other,  and  chasing  one  another,  as  they  do  in  war. 


12 


178  HEART  TALKS. 

Two  divisions  of  one  great  common  creed  are  still 
debating  about  how  to  meet  each  other  with  amity 
and  brotherly  kindness  in  their  work,  and  failing  to 
do  it.  One  of  these  bodies  sends  a  delegate  to  the 
other  to  convey  greetings.  He  does  so,  and  sits  down, 
when,  in  fifteen  minutes,  a  leading  man  on  the  other 
side  tomahawks  and  scalps  him  so  quickly  and  cleverly 
in  a  platform  reply,  that  the  victim  scarcely  realizes 
that  he  has  been  slain.  The  great  warrior  sits  down, 
with  the  scalp  of  the  young  chief  at  his  belt,  who, 
covered  with  blood,  has  hardly  yet  comprehended 
what  has  been  done. 

Look  at  the  Church  members  striking  at  one  an- 
other. Hear  the  stewards  talking  about  one  another. 
Listen  to  the  preachers  and  evangelists  judging,  criti- 
cising, and  condemning  one  another.  See  how  the 
editors  of  Church  papers  are  forever  after  one  another. 
It  is  a  vision  of  blood  everywhere!  It  is  a  spectacle 
of  cutting  and  slashing,  stabbing  and  shooting,  toma- 
hawking and  scalping,  gouging  and  biting,  wherever 
you  turn.  Doubled  fists,  smitten  mouths  streaming 
with  blood,  are  on  all  sides.  Heenan  and  Sayers, 
Sullivan  and  Kilrain,  and  Corbett  and  Fitzsimmons 
never  gave  harder  and  crueler  blows  in  their  line  than 
I  have  seen  and  heard  given  in  the  name  of  Christ 
in  this  so-called  Christian  land. 

We  do  not  allude  to  warnings  of  and  denunciations 


THE  SMITTEN  MOUTH.  179 

against  sin  that  must  be  delivered  from  the  Church 
press  and  pulpit,  but  to  personal  attacks,  the  violent 
assailing  of  individuals  who  love  God,  and  are  keep- 
ing His  commandments. 

Listen  to  some  of  the  words  as  they  fall  from  the 
lips  of  the  smiter  as  he  strikes  the  mouth  of  one  of 
God's  Spirit-filled  servants. 

"He  is  not  my  style  of  preacher" — Smash ! 

"He  does  not  cast  out  devils  like  I  do.  Hit 
him!"— Smash! 

"He  believes  in  the  second  coming  of  Christ,  and 
is  a  visionary.  Hit  him,  somebody — hit  him,  every- 
body " — Smash ! 

"He  believes  that  Christ  can  heal  the  body" — 
Smash! 

"He  says,  he  has  received  the  blessing  of  sanctifi- 
cation  as  a  work  clear  and  distinct  from  his  regenera- 
tion. Let  everybody  strike  him!" — Smash!  smash! 
smash ! 

"He  is  a  Church-splitter — a  crank — a  schismatic — 
an  abuser  of  the  Church  and  his  brethren."  Bang — 
thud — smash ! 

"Did  you  hear  him?" 

"No;  but  somebody  else  did." — Smash! 

"Did  you  investigate  the  Church-splitting  matter, 
and  hear  the  other  side  of  the  case?" 

"No ;  and  I  do  n't  want  to." — Bang ! 


ISO  HEART  TALKS. 

"Would  you  condemn  a  man  unheard?  Is  that 
just,  or  right,  or  Christ-like?" 

"I  have  n't  time  to  talk  with  you.  Hit  him  there, 
some  one!  Strike  him  again!  Knock  him  down! 
That 's  it !  Smash — smash !  Now,  drag  him  down 
the  street  like  they  did  Stephen !  Beat  him  as  he  goes ! 
Roll  him  over  and  over !  Thrust  him  outside  the  walls ! 
Now  finish  him!  Bang — thud — smash — smash — 
smash!  Is  he  dead?  Quite  dead?  All  right!  Now 
let  us  open  Conference  with  the  reading  of  the  thir- 
teenth chapter  of  First  Corinthians,  or  begin  divine 
service  by  singing  the  hymn : 

"Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds 

Our  hearts  in  Christian  love ; 
The  fellowship  of  kindred  minds 
Is  like  to  that  above." 


XIX. 

THE  SILENCE  OF  CHRIST. 

IV  A  ANY,  in  studying  the  life  of  Christ,  overlook 
*•  *  *  the  sterner  side  of  His  character.  They  make 
Him  nothing  but  love ;  invest  Him  with  a  forbearance 
that  has  no  end;  and  rob  Him  of  justice,  judgment, 
and  that  ineffable  dignity  and  grandeur  belonging  to 
Him  as  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords.  They  fail 
to  see  that  He  who  wept  over  Jerusalem,  drove  out 
men  and  animals  from  the  temple  with  uplifted 
scourge  and  burning,  indignant  words,  "Ye  have  made 
my  Father's  house  a  den  of  thieves."  That,  while  He 
said,  "Come  unto  me,  and  I  will  give  you  rest,"  He 
also  proclaimed,  "Behold,  your  house  is  left  unto  you 
desolate."  That  He  who  took  little  children  in  His 
arms,  said  to  the  religious  teachers  of  that  day,  "Ye 
generation  of  vipers,  how  can  ye  escape  the  damna- 
tion of  hell?"  That  He  who  sat  down,  and  opening 
His  mouth,  taught  the  multitudes  unweariedly  for 
hours,  was  silent  in  the  presence  of  certain  characters, 
and  would  make  them  no  answer  whatever. 

There  is  no  contradiction  in  this  course  of  Christ, 
but  perfect  moral  consistency.     The  explanation  of 

the  varying  conduct  is  found  in  the  characters  of  the 

181 


1 82  HEART  TALK'S. 

individuals  before  Him.  The  Savior  has  evidently 
more  than  one  side  to  His  personality.  There  is  a 
way  of  obtaining  an  audience,  and  enjoying  delightful 
communion  with  Him ;  and  there  is  a  life  we  can  live 
which  will  make  the  skies  empty,  lock  the  gates  of 
heaven  at  our  approach,  and  cause  the  Son  of  God 
to  maintain  toward  us  an  unbroken  silence. 

The  dreadful  fact  of  Divine  silence  is  the  thought 
present  to  the  reader;  and  this  unspeakable  calamity 
we  bring  on  ourselves. 

Christ  was  notably  silent  to  certain  men.  The 
Bible  says  that,  under  the  questions  they  put  to  Him, 
"He  answered  not  a  word." 

Christ  is  silent  to  some  people  to-day.  Some  are 
honest  enought  to  confess  the  great  woe;  in  other 
cases  many  see  it.  Whether  in  Bible  times  or  to-day, 
this  Divine  silence  is  not  arbitrary,  but  is  invariably 
the  result  of  something  the  man  has  done,  or,  deeper 
still,  what  the  man  has  become.  Light  is  also  thrown 
on  the  matter  in  one  of  Paul's  inspired  statements,  "If 
we  deny  Him,  He  will  also  deny  us."  He  is  to  us  what 
we  allow  Him  or  make  Him  to  be.  Beyond  all  doubt, 
the  fact  of  Christ  ceasing  to  speak  to  a  human  soul 
can  be  explained. 

Christ  was  silent  to  Herod. 

The  Scripture  says  Herod  was  glad  to  behold  Him 


THE  SILENCE   OF  CHRIST.  183 

of  whom  he  had  heard  much,  and  now  hoped  to 
see  Him  perform  some  wonderful  work.  But  no  in- 
terrogation that  this  corrupt,  unprincipled  man  could 
put  to  Jesus  elicited  the  slightest  reply  or  even  a  rec- 
ognition of  his  presence.  He  said  nothing,  and  did 
nothing  so  that  Herod  marveled. 

Christ  had  previously  said  of  Herod  that  he  was 
a  fox.  He  had  a  low,  cunning  nature.  On  top  of 
this  was  a  vulgar  curiosity  to  see  Jesus,  and  behold 
him  work  physical  wonders  that  would  make  him 
stare.  To  such  a  character  the  Divine  Being  is  in- 
variably silent.  There  is  nothing  to  be  said  to  such 
a  man  except  Judgment  Day  words,  and  that  time 
has  not  yet  arrived. 

The  writer  has  been  struck  with  the  fact  that, 
after  a  remarkable  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  on  a  meet- 
ing, there  is  an  immediate  rush  of  a  certain  element 
in  the  community  to  the  next  service,  who  are  brimful 
of  curiosity  to  see  what  is  going  on;  and  invariably 
we  have  observed  on  such  nights  a  notable  absence  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  He  would  not  work  to  gratify  such 
a  lust  of  the  eye,  or  speak  to  men  and  women  in  such 
a  mental  and  spiritual  state. 

Again,  Christ  was  silent  to  Pilate. 

The  Roman  governor  put  many  questions  to  Jesus, 
and  charged  Him  to  answer,  but  the  Evangels  tell  us, 


1 84  HEART  TALKS. 

"He  answered  him  nothing."  Two  replies,  evidently 
given  for  the  benefit  of  the  world,  make  all  the  more 
remarkable  Christ's  silence  to  the  individual. 

The  study  of  the  Roman  governor  shows  him  to 
have  been  timorous,  cowardly,  time-serving,  and  un- 
just. It  is  hard  to  conceive  of  a  blacker  character  than 
that  of  the  man  who  sat  in  judgment  upon  Jesus 
Christ.  He  knew  Him  to  be  innocent,  said  he  found 
no  fault  in  Him,  and  yet  sentenced  Him  to  the  most 
horrible  death  known  to  men.  Who  wonders  that, 
to  the  numerous  questions  he  propounded,  the  Savior 
made  him  no  reply? 

Still  again,  Christ  was  silent  to  the  chief  priests 
and  elders. 

Matthew  says,  "When  He  was  accused  of  the 
chief  priests  and  elders,  He  answered  nothing." 
And  Mark  states,  "The  chief  priests  accused  Him  of 
many  things,  but  He  answered  nothing." 

Every  one  who  has  beheld  and  felt  the  power  of 
character;  who  has  looked  across  the  great  gap  and 
chasm  that  yawns  between  virtue  and  vice,  truth  and 
falsehood,  righteousness  and  unrighteousness,  can 
thoroughly  comprehend  and  appreciate  the  silence  of 
Christ  to  these  men. 

All  of  us  have  met  persons,  whom  to  talk  with 
is  simply  to  waste  words,  and  lose  time.  They  have 
put  themselves  where  reason,  truth,  revelation,  and 


THE  SILENCE  OF  CHRIST.  185 

warning  are  all  alike  lost  upon  them.  To  such  people 
we  finally  become  utterly  voiceless. 

In  addition  to  this,  we  all  know  how  the  presence 
of  unsympathetic,  uncongenial  natures  will  freeze  the 
powers  of  speech,  and  drive  us  into  profound  silence. 
The  explanation  of  being  strangely  shut  up  to  indi- 
viduals, or  before  assemblies,  can  often  be  found  right 
here,  while  the  exquisite  suffering  of  being  com- 
pelled for  years  or  a  lifetime  to  be  in  the  presence  of 
moral  opposites  can  easily  be  imagined.  Of  course, 
this  leads  to  silence,  long  spells  of  silence,  and  whether 
in  business  or  family  life,  only  that  conversation  is  in- 
dulged in  which  is  absolutely  necessary,  or  that  is  felt 
to  be  one's  duty. 

We  know  of  a  married  couple  who  lived  over 
twenty  years  in  the  same  house,  and  never  exchanged 
a  single  word  in  that  time.  Neither  one  was  religious, 
but  one  had  moral  character,  and  the  other  had  none. 
One  day  there  had  been  a  revelation  of  a  hideous,  un- 
principled heart,  and  straightway  a  silence  of  twenty 
years  fell  in  between  the  two. 

If  we  contemplate  a  single  feature  of  Pilate's  char- 
acter, his  injustice,  we  can  easily  see  that  that  alone 
would  be  sufficient  to  account  for  Christ's  voiceless- 
ness  before  him.  All  of  us  have  doubtless  been  thrown 
with  people  at  some  time  in  our  lives  who  seemed 
utterly  incapable  of  rendering  us  justice.  No  state- 


1 86  HEART  TALKS. 

ment  or  explanation  we  could  make  them  in  self- 
defense  or  extenuation,  would  make  them  change 
their  opinions  or  remove  their  prejudice. 

I  once  wrote  a  number  of  letters  to  a  prominent 
man  in  order  to  disabuse  his  mind  from  the  effect  of 
false  reports  of  my  work.  I  was  slow  to  awaken  to 
the  fact,  but  the  awakening  came  at  last,  that  he  was 
set  in  his  judgment  and  conclusions,  and  would  not 
be  persuaded,  though  one  rose  from  the  dead.  From 
that  moment  a  profound  silence  fell  on  me  toward 
him,  so  far  as  self-defense  is  concerned.  No  matter 
what  is  written  or  told  him,  I  never  utter  a  word. 

Many  a  daughter-in-law  has  found  out  that  her 
mother-in-law  will  always  side  with  her  son.  And 
many  a  son-in-law  has  ceased  to  expect  justice  from 
the  mother  of  his  wife.  Such  is  the  power  of  natural 
laws  and  affections  that  the  woman  is  unable  to  dis- 
criminate and  render  true  judgment.  She  is  so  biased 
by  heart  and  family  ties  that  the  son-in-law  ceases  to 
expect  justice,  and  falls  into  silence  in  the  presence 
of  this  familiar  manifestation  of  character. 

All  these  things  we  mention  that  we  might  see 
why  it  is  that,  in  spite  of  loud  calling,  testifying,  pray- 
ing, and  preaching,  some  people  obtain  no  answer 
from  Christ.  The  state  of  the  heart  is  such,  the  char- 
acter is  such,  that  it  is  impossible  for  the  Savior  to 
speak  to  them. 


THE  SILENCE  OF  CHRIST.  187 

If  a  supposedly  virtuous  woman  was  seen  chatting 
pleasantly  on  all  kinds  of  topics  with  a  man  who  was 
a  notorious,  impenitent  libertine,  observers  who  have 
any  knowledge  of  character  would  immediately  con- 
clude that  the  woman  was  not  herself  pure.  There 
could  be  pity  and  sorrow  in  a  true  woman's  heart  over 
such  a  character,  and  a  gospel  warning  might  be  given, 
but  there  could  be  no  friendly  social  conversation. 

If  I  regard  iniquity  in  my  heart,  says  David,  the 
Lord  will  not  hear  me.  So,  far  from  answering  us, 
God  will  not  even  hear  us.  In  other  words,  the  kind 
of  character  or  life  or  heart  we  bring  to  God  settles 
the  question  whether  we  will  hear  from  Him  or  not. 

There  are  individuals  to-day,  and  a  number  of 
them  were  once  Christians,  to  whom  the  Lord  speaks 
no  more.  It  is  plainly  evident  to  the  practiced  spir- 
itual eye.  They  are  receiving  no  messages  from  Him. 
They  are  speaking  to  a  silent  Christ.  As  long  ago 
prophesied,  "They  will  call,  and  I  will  not  answer." 

Who  has  not  beheld  these  persons,  both  in  pulpit 
and  pew?  And  who  has  not  heard  them  testifying, 
praying,  and  preaching,  and  yet  no  answer  from  the 
Son  of  God? 

Saul,  the  first  king  of  Israel,  got  into  this  dreadful 
place,  and  his  cry  was,  "God  has  departed  from  me, 
and  answereth  me  no  more."  He,  by  disobedience, 


188  HEART  TALKS. 

had  brought  himself  where  the  Divine  Being  quit  talk- 
ing to  him.  Jerusalem  is  in  that  state  to-day.  Let  the 
traveler  go  to  what  is  called  "The  Wailing  Place,"  and 
*  listen  to  the  heartbroken  cries,  and  then  look  up  at 
the  empty  heavens  above,  where  dwells  the  silent  God. 
He  came  to  them,  and  offered  them  eternal  life.  They 
refused  to  listen  to  Him.  He  foretold  them  what 
would  at  last  come  upon  them  as  people,  city,  and  na- 
tion, that  they  would  one  day  call,  and  there  would 
be  no  answer.  It  has  all  come  to  pass.  The  nation 
has  been  scattered,  the  city  is  trodden  under  foot,  the 
temple  is  destroyed,  and  their  God  is  silent  above 
them.  He  answers  no  more,  neither  by  dreams  and 
prophets,  nor  by  Urim  and  Thummim,  nor  by  any 
other  way ;  they,  by  their  own  conduct,  have  made  for 
themselves  a  silent  God,  one  who  speaks  to  them  no 
more. 

May  God,  in  His  mercy,  save  the  reader  from  this 
unspeakable  woe  and  calamity, — a  silent  Christ,  a 
Savior  who  has  ceased  to  answer! 

And  yet  there  are  men  in  the  pulpit  to-day  who 
are  living  under  this  curse.  And  there  are  men  upon 
ecclesiastical  official  boards,  and  women  prominent  in 
Church  work,  and  people  religiously  busy  in  many 
ways,  to  whom  Christ  never  speaks.  And,  sadder  still, 
there  are  men  and  women  dying  now,  while  we  write 


THE  SILENCE   OF  CHRIST.  189 

these  words,  to  whom  Christ  is  utterly  silent,  and  the 
despair  in  their  breasts  at  this  hour  springs  from  the 
fact  that  they  made  Him  silent. 

Again  we  repeat,  May  God  save  us  from  the  im-  . 
measurable  woe,  both  in  life  and  death,  of  a  silent     / 
Christ!  ' 


XX. 

WAITING  ON  THE  LORD. 

'T'HE  Bible  expression,  "Waiting  on  the  Lord,"  has 
-*•  several  meanings  according  to  the  Scripture. 
One  is  that  of  service.  So  the  Levites  and  priests 
were  said  to  minister  unto  the  Lord.  Aaron,  Eli, 
Samuel,  Zechariah,  and  many  others  were  found  in 
the  Tabernacle  or  Temple,  actively  engaged  for  God. 
It  has  a  broader  meaning  to-day,  and  service  to  God 
can  be  offered  not  only  in  the  church,  but  on  street 
and  highway,  and  wherever  sickness,  sorrow,  pain, 
want,  and  sin  can  be  found. 

Another  meaning  is  that  of  prayer.  When  men 
separate  themselves  from  their  pleasures  and  pur- 
suits, and  linger  for  hours  and  days  in  prayer  for  some 
special  or  general  blessing,  it  is  said  to  be  a  waiting 
on  the  Lord.  So  Moses  on  the  Mount,  Daniel  by  the 
river  Hiddekel,  Paul  in  the  Temple,  and  the  disciples 
in  the  Upper  Room,  waited  on  God.  We  do  the  same 
thing,  whether  at  home  or  in  the  Church,  when  we 
plead  for  certain  blessings  and  wait  in  supplication 
before  the  Throne. 

A  third  meaning  of  the  expression  is  a  certain 
190 


WAITING  ON  THE  LORD.  191 

tarrying  on  the  Divine  Providence.  We  wait  to  know 
the  will  of  God  in  some  steps  of  life,  or  to  obtain  ex- 
planation of  an  inscrutable  divine  dealing,  or  receive 
some  peculiar  deliverance,  or  enter  upon  the  fulfill- 
ment of  some  divine  promise. 

This  last  waiting  includes  the  other  two.  In  order 
to  tarry  on  God's  time,  the  soul  must  abound  in 
prayer,  and  be  found  in  the  divine  service.  To  neglect 
either  one  would  be  to  let  go  of  the  Savior,  open  the 
heart  to  doubt  and  worry,  and  end  in  the  final  forsak- 
ing of  the  post  of  duty  where  the  Lord  intended  to 
have  met  and  relieved  us.  Concerning  this  three- 
fold waiting  on  the  Lord,  we  have  some,  blessed  prom- 
ises. Isaiah  mentions  four  things  as  a  certain  result. 

One  is  that  we  shall  "renew  our  strength." 

No  argument  is  needed  here  to  prove  what  has 
been  felt  a  thousand  times  by  the  child  of  God.  Some- 
thing is  found  at  the  mercy-seat  of  prayer,  and  about 
the  altars,  and  in  the  work  of  God,  which  is  like  new 
life  to  the  soul.  We  come  away  from  the  closet  of 
prayer  and  house  of  God  with  the  feeling  that  we  have 
been  renewed  or  made  over  again. 

Another  promise  is  that  we  "shall  mount  up  with 
wings  as  eagles." 

The  disciples  took  a  great  heavenward  flight  on 
the  morning  of  Pentecost;  but  it  was  no  accident. 
They  had  paid  a  great  price  for  the  privilege ;  they  had 


192  HEART  TALKS. 

waited  ten  days  in  the  dust  for  the  joy  of  putting  the 
clouds  under  their  feet. 

Fletcher  had  upward  soarings  of  religious  experi- 
ence, which  many  are  fond  of  quoting,  but  not  of 
imitating.  Anyhow  they  will  not  pay  the  price  he 
paid  for  his  aerial  ascents,  which  was  four  hours  each 
day  spent  in  prayer. 

Some  discuss  with  great  gravity  and  scholarly  acu- 
men these  wonderful  uplifts  in  the  kingdom  of  grace. 
They  try  to  locate  and  then  describe  it  in  the  realm 
of  psychology,  when  the  explanation  is  to  be  found 
in  kneeology.  A  protracted  waiting  upon  God  will 
always  be  rewarded  by  the  gift  of  a  pair  of  wings. 
There  is  no  shadow  of  a  doubt  upon  the  minds  of 
observers  when  a  Christian  gets  them.  All  can  see 
he  is  mounting,  and  know  he  is  far  above  the  crowd 
that  is  standing  by,  gazing  after  him. 

The  experience  of  wings  lifts  the  soul  suddenly 
far  above  obstacles  which  just  a  moment  before 
seemed  insurmountable.  The  experience  also  gives 
a  wonderful  view  of  terrestrial  things,  God's  works 
enlarging  and  man's  works  looking  exceedingly 
small.  Such  caught-up  people  have  also  blessed 
things  to  tell  us  of  Christ  and  His  Kingdom.  They 
seemed  to  have  been  near  the  Gates  of  Pearl.  Let  no 
man  condemn  them  who  never  had  a  pair  of  wings 
given  to  his  soul  after  days  of  importunity. 


WAITING   ON  THE  LORD.  193 

A  third  promise  is,  we  "shall  run,  and  not  be 
weary."  Have  we  not  seen  these  people?  They  are 
always  going  for  God,  going  swiftly,  and  that  without 
seeming  to  be  exhausted.  They  make  no  complaints, 
seem  to  have  no  dyspepsia  or  nervous  prostration,  and 
all  they  crave  is  the  privilege  of  running  for  heaven. 
This  man  does  not  say  so  much  about  visions  and 
views  and  great  revelations;  he  is  too  busy  running 
for  God,  delivering  His  messages,  charging  the 
enemy,  executing  flank  attacks  as  well  as  front  move- 
ments, picking  up  the  wounded,  distributing  lint, 
making  constant  captures,  and  doing  many  other 
things  too  numerous  to  mention. 

A  fourth  promise  is,  that  we  "shall  walk,  and  not 
faint."  It  is  placed  almost  last  as  the  result  of  waiting 
on  the  Lord ;  but  it  is  not  less  blessed  than  the  other 
two,  and  may  be  even  more  important. 

In  these  words  a  great  multitude  of  the  quiet, 
patient,  faithful  followers  of  Christ  are  presented. 
Men  in  the  treadmill  of  every-day  work,  women  in 
the  toil  and  drudgery  of  home  life.  People  so  cir- 
cumstanced that  they  can  not  run,  but  have  to  walk. 
So  many  hours  for  labor,  so  many  mouths  to  fill,  so 
many  little  garments  to  make,  so  many  little  ones  to 
teach,  so  many  small  duties  to  perform. 

When  men  with  handspikes  uplift  a  great  log, 

they  do  not  run,  but  walk,  and  with  a  slow,  steady 
13 


194  HEART  TALKS. 

motion.  There  are  some  situations  in  the  Christian 
life,  and  some  duties  where  we  can  not  run,  but  are 
compelled  to  go  slowly.  The  load  is  heavy ;  it  requires 
patience,  deliberation,  and  steadiness,  and  will  not 
allow  swiftness.  Thank  God  that  heaven  has  a  bless- 
ing for  these  quiet-lipped,  grave-eyed,  life-burdened 
followers  of  Jesus!  We  can  walk  through  all,  and 
not  faint.  It  comes  by  waiting  on  the  Lord. 

An  additional  promise  to  the  man  who  waits  on 
the  Lord  is,  that  "he  shall  inherit  the  land."  In  an- 
other place  David  says,  "He  shall  exalt  thee  to  inherit 
the  land."  The  figure  is  one  of  complete  deliverance, 
perfect  victory,  and  quiet  establishment.  Enemies  are 
removed,  ownership  and  mastership  is  given,  and 
peace  reigns  supreme. 

This  last  promise  is  made  to  the  man  who  will  wait 
on  the  Lord  in  the  sense  of  tarrying  for  the  Divine 
providence,  or  giving  God  His  own  time  to  do  for  us 
what  we  have  asked  and  He  has  promised.  It  is  a 
mark  of  great  advancement  in  spiritual  things  when  a 
man  can  do  this.  Many  try  it  and  break  down;  but 
some  go  to  the  end.  Happy  is  such  a  man  or  woman 
of  God.  They  shall  be  repaid  and  blessed  beyond 
words  to  describe. 

Some  of  us  are  marvelously  inconsiderate  here. 
We  forget  that  when  we  ask  God  for  certain  things 


WAITING   ON  THE  LORD  195 

He  has  to  deal  with  others  as  well  as  ourselves,  and 
always  with  free  agents.  He  can  not  compel  any  one, 
but  has  to  work  with  them  in  full  recognition  of  their 
moral  freedom. 

The  angel  told  Daniel,  in  explanation  of  a  delayed 
message  from  heaven,  that  he  had  been  withstood  by 
a  certain  Prince,  and  hence  prevented  from  coming. 

It  is  a  reasonable  thing  to  wait  on  the  Lord.  It 
is  what  we  want  others  to  do  for  us.  Sometimes  we 
can  not  explain  ourselves;  sometimes  our  plans  are 
working,  but  the  consummation  has  not  come.  So 
we  ask  people  to  wait  on  us.  If  they  love  and  trust 
us,  they  will.  In  like  manner  we  pray  God  to  bring 
certain  things  to  pass.  At  once  He  starts  the  influ- 
ences which  are  to  prove  successful ;  but  it  takes  time. 
Many  hearts  and  lives  have  to  be  touched  and 
changed.  Then  God  has  plans  of  His  own,  which  we 
do  not  see.  He  has.  to  work  them  out,  while  at  the 
same  time  He  does  not  forget  us,  our  past  prayers, 
and  present  waiting  before  Him.  *  Beyond  all  question 
He  is  doing  His  best  for  us.  His  answers  and  deliv- 
erances are  on  the  way  to  us,  struggling  through . 
human  and  Satanic  opposition.  Be  patient  a  little 
while  longer,  ye  heartsick  children  of  God.  It  will 
yet  come  to  pass,  and  you  shall  inherit  the  land. 

The  man  of  desperate  acts  takes  things  in  his  own 


196  HEART  TALKS. 

hand.  The  suicide  took  matters  in  his  own  hand. 
The  people  who  flew  to  the  wine-cup,  the  morphine- 
bottle,  to  the  world,  and  into  sin,  would  not  wait  on 
God. 

The  papers  speak  of  a  man  who  committed  suicide 
on  account  of  poverty.  The  next  day  a  large  remit- 
tance came  by  mail ;  but  he  was  in  his  grave,  and  had 
placed  himself  there. 

It  pays  to  wait  on  God.  Joseph  looked  at  a  closed 
prison-door  for  years.  Doubtless  his  heart  often  sick- 
ened ;  but  he  waited  on  the  Lord.  One  day  the  door 
opened,  and  Joseph  not  only  walked  out  free,  but  was 
exalted  to  rule  over  the  land. 

John  Wesley  had  a  curse  in  his  life.  He  neither 
committed  murder  nor  suicide,  as  some  men  have 
done  under  similar  circumstances.  He  waited  on  the 
Lord.  The  time  came  when  the  Lord  completely  de- 
livered him. 

One  day  in  California,  while  sitting  in  a  restaurant, 
I  heard  a  man  call  for  his  dessert  and  a  cup  of  coffee. 
The  waiter  tarried  a  little  too  long,  he  became  impa- 
tient, jumped  up,  stamped  out,  and  slammed  the  door. 
Just  as  the  door  closed  behind  him,  and  his  feet  were 
on  the  pavement,  the  waiter  came  in,  bearing  a  de- 
licious dessert  and  a  fragrant,  steaming  cup  of  coffee. 
We  have  often  since  then  thought  of  the  simple  scene. 
It  was  a  parable  in  itself  in  spite  of  its  simplicity. 


WAITING  ON  THE  LORD.  IQ7 

The  Lord  keep  us  patient,  faithful,  steadfast.  May 
we  believe  in,  and  rely  on,  and  wait  for  Him!  He 
has  not  forgotten  us.  Angels  are  on  the  way  with 
nectar  and  ambrosia.  Above  all,  God  is  coming  with 
deliverance  and  blessing  and  honor  and  exaltation, 
and  says  meanwhile  for  our  comfort  that  even  now  all 
things  are  working  together  for  our  good  if  we  but 
love  Him. 


XXI. 
THE  CLEANSING  BLOOD. 

T  N  the  Old  Testament  God  took  a  world  of  pains  to 
*  teach  men  that  the  cleansing  of  the  soul  could  only 
be  had  through  blood.  This  was  the  explanation  of 
the  red  life-currents  which  streamed  from  bird,  lamb, 
and  bullock  in  the  Jewish  days.  The  meaning  of  the 
many  sacrifices  was,  that  without  the  shedding  of 
blood  there  could  be  no  remission  of  sins. 

The  next  step  was  to  show  what  or  whose  blood 
was  meant.  So,  under  the  combined  teaching  of 
priest,  prophet,  and  religious  ceremony,  the  intelligent 
Israelite  got  to  know  that  it  was  not  possible  for  the 
blood  of  bulls  and  goats  to  purge  the  soul  from  the 
defilement  of  sin,  that  a  nobler  sacrifice  was  typified, 
and  a  more  precious  blood  was  yet  to  be  poured  out 
for  the  human  race. 

In  due  time  the  great  antitype  appeared,  and  died 
on  Calvary.  He  suffered  without  the  gate  to  sanctify 
the  people.  The  Fountain  was  opened  up  in  the 
House  of  David  for  sin  and  uncleanness.  The  means 
for  perfect  heart-cleansing,  for  snowy  whiteness  of 
soul,  for  complete  purification  from  all  sin,  had  come 

at  last.     Though  one  had  lain  among  the  pots,  yet 

198 


THE   CLEANSING  BLOOD.  199 

now  should  his  wings  be  as  burnished  silver  and  his 
feathers  like  yellow  gold.  Not  only  should  the  soul 
be  made  white  as  snow,  but  whiter  than  the  snow. 
The  blood  of  Christ  was  to  do  it. 

About  this  precious,  blessed  blood  John  has  sev- 
eral things  to  say  in  his  first  epistle. 

First,  that  it  cleanses. 

This  is  certainly  an  all-important  statement,  for 
many  have  been  and  still  are  looking  in  other  direc- 
tions for  the  longed-for  purification.  The  eye  has 
been  fixed  on  Time,  Old  Age,  Church  Membership, 
Good  Resolutions,  Growth  in  Grace,  and  upon  many 
other  things  to  obtain  that  whiteness  and  cleanness 
which  every  soul  must  at  times  long  for,  and  must  also 
possess  in  order  to  see  God. 

But  John  says  that  it  is  the  blood  that  cleanseth. 
This  God-inspired  announcement  ought  to  save  mill- 
ions from  countless  and  heartbreaking  mistakes. 
There  is  absolutely  nothing  in  any  one  of  the  things 
just  mentioned  to  purify  the  heart.  Whoever  trusts 
to  them  is  a  fool,  and  doomed  to  bitter  disappoint- 
ment. 

The  Bible  says,  "The  blood  cleanseth."  Myriads 
are  shouting  this  in  the  sky,  and  multitudes  are  pro- 
claiming it  on  earth. 

There  is  no  need  to  stop  and  explain  to  certain 
critical  classes  the  difference  between  the  procuring 


200  HEART  TALKS. 

cause,  the  meritorious  cause,  the  instrumental  cause, 
and  all  the  other  niceties  and  hairsplitting  definitions 
seen  by  scholarly  minds  in  the  plan  and  process  of  re- 
demption. The  great,  blissful  fact  is,  that  the  blood 
of  Christ  cleanses.  This  truth  alone  makes  the  sink- 
ing, despairing  heart  leap  for  joy,  and  turns  the  con- 
fused mind  from  its  wanderings  through  a  labyrinth- 
ian  maze  of  theological,  psychological,  and  diabolical 
error,  and  shows  it,  in  a  word,  where  and  when  and 
how  spiritual  cleanness  can  be  found.  But  the  apostle 
states  another  fact  about  the  blood. 

It  cleanses  from  all  sin. 

This  goes  even  beyond  the  first  statement  in  its 
revelation  of  the  depth  and  power  of  Christ's  redemp- 
tion. Many  have  brought  part  of  their  sins  to  God, 
but  not  all.  Many  believe  that  they  have  committed 
some  things  which  can  not  be  pardoned;  that  they 
have  sinned  away  their  day  of  grace;  that  their  souls 
have  been  hurt  irremediably  by  their  own  conduct; 
and  that  they  are  now  doomed  and  certain  to  be 
damned. 

All  this  gloomy  talk  is  nothing  but  an  emphatic 
denial  of  God's  own  Word,  that  the  blood  of  Christ 
cleanses  from  all  sin. 

When  God  says  a  thing  is  so,  what  can  man  say 
after  that?  Is  God  a  liar?  Would  He  deceive  a  soul 
with  false  hopes?  Do  not  all  see  that  neither  one  is 


THE   CLEANSING  BLOOD.  2OI 

possible?  Then  if  all  sin  can  be  cleansed  by  the  blood, 
what  need  for  any  one  to  be  in  gloom  or  despair? 

Let  men  say  what  they  will,  the  Bible  states  that 
all  sin  is  washed  away.  The  guilty  individual  may 
cry  out,  "You  have  no  idea  what  I  have  done."  My 
reply  is,  "I  do  not  care  what  you  have  done;  the 
Scripture  says  that  the  blood  cleanses  from  all  sin." 
But  the  rejoinder  is,  "I  have  done  thus,  and  so  and 
so."  All  right,  the  blood  cleanseth  from  all  sin. 

Once,  while  quite  sick  at  home,  a  lady  requested 
an  interview.  Her  apology  for  insisting  on  seeing  me 
when  I  was  physically  prostrate,  was  that  she  was  in 
great  spiritual  darkness  and  agony  of  mind.  I  can 
never  forget  the  anxious,  distressed  face  of  the  visitor 
as  she  said: 

"I  am  in  darkness.  For  the  love  of  God  point  me 
to  a  passage  in  the  Bible  that  will  save  me  from 
despair." 

Sick  as  I  was,  I  felt  my  face  kindling  with  joy  as 
I  repeated,  "The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  His  Son, 
cleanseth  us  from  all  sin." 

"O,"  she  replied,  "that  is  so  sweet!"  And  in  a 
few  moments  went  away  with  a  bright  countenance. 
But  the  adversary  flung  another  cloud  upon  her  the 
next  day,  blacker  than  the  first.  This  time  she  went 
directly  to  the  Bible,  crying  out,  "Lord,  let  my  eye 
fall  on  some  word  of  thine  which  will  bring  me  light, 


202  HEART  TALKS. 

victory,  and  complete  deliverance."  Suddenly,  as  she 
read  on,  this  verse  fairly  flashed  itself  before  her  eyes, 
"When  I  see  the  blood,  I  will  pass  over  you."  The 
result  of  a  single  reading  was  instantaneous  and 
permanent  relief. 

A  few  months  after  this  I  was  going  from  New 
York  to  Boston.  The  conductor  came  to  me  on  the 
train,  and,  according  to  custom,  wanted  my  fare.  I 
handed  him  my  ticket,  which  I  had  bought,  and  he 
gave  me  instead  a  small,  red  slip  of  cardboard,  which 
I  stuck  in  my  hatband,  and  then  placed  the  hat  in 
an  iron  hatrack  on  the  wall.  At  the  next  town  quite 
a  number  of  people  got  off,  and  another  crowd  came 
on.  The  conductor,  not  knowing  me,  approached 
where  I  was  sitting  and  reading,  and  wanted  my  rail- 
road fare.  In  reply  I  looked  up  and  pointed  to  the  red 
slip  in  my  hat,  whereupon  he  instantly  passed  by. 
This  happened  several  times,  until  finally,  begrudging 
even  a  few  moments  from  the  book  in  which  I  was 
immersed,  the  next  time  he  came  by  and  asked  for 
my  money,  I  never  raised  my  eyes  from  the  volume, 
but  silently  pointed  with  my  finger  to  the  little  red 
card  in  my  hat.  The  effect  on  him  was  always  power- 
ful. Invariably  he  passed  me  by  without  saying 
anything.  In  a  word,  when  he  saw  the  red,  he 
passed  over  me.  The  little  incident  threw  a  gracious 


THE  CLEANSING  BLOOD.  203 

light  on  the  Old  Testament  passage,  and  it  became 
more  precious  and  real  than  ever. 

God,  help  us  to  believe.  No  matter  what  the  mis- 
take, mishap,  error,  or  sin  may  be ;  may  we  have  faith 
enough  in  the  Bible  and  in  the  atonement  to  sprinkle 
the  blood  upon  it.  God's  promise  is,  that  when  He 
sees  the  blood  He  will  pass  over. 

A  third  statement  of  the  apostle  is  equally  remark- 
able and  comforting.  The  blood  cleanses  from  all  sin 
while  we  are  walking  in  the  light. 

This  statement  is  more  important  than  many 
dream,  who  hastily  read  the  Scripture. 

Numbers  are  contending  to-day  that  regeneration 
is  purity,  that  no  sin  is  left  in  the  converted  heart. 
But  this  passage  in  John  declares  to  the  contrary. 
Mr.  Wesley  says  it  is  one  of  the  strongest  verses  in 
the  Bible  to  teach  the  second  work  of  grace. 

If  the  reader  will  observe,  John  says  that  the  man 
who  obtains  this  peculiar  heart-cleansing  from  all  sin 
is  in  the  light,  is  walking  in  it,  and  has  fellowship  with 
his  Christian  brethren.  Here  is  a  picture,  not  of  a 
sinner,  but  of  a  child  of  God.  He  is  in  the  light,  is 
evidently  growing  in  grace,  is  moving  forward  all  the 
time,  is  in  loving  communion  with  other  Christians, 
and  right  there  the  blood  of  Christ  cleanses  him  from 
all  sin.  Moreover,  the  sacred  writer  says  that  it  is 


204  HEART  TALKS. 

"sin,"  not  "sins,"  that  he  is  cleansed  from.  The  con- 
clusion being  unanswerable  that  a  sin  principle  is  left 
in  the  heart  of  the  man  who  is  walking  in  the  light; 
in  other  words,  that  the  Christian  did  not  obtain 
purity  in  regeneration;  but  something  is  left  which 
requires  the  blood  of  Christ  to  purge  and  deliver  him 
from. 

A  fourth  comforting  teaching  of  the  verse  written 
by  John  is  seen  in  the  immediate  appropriation  of  the 
blood  by  the  regenerated  or  sanctified  child  of  God, 
in  case  of  neglect  of  duty  or  positive  transgression. 
The  word  to  believing  souls  at  such  a  time  is  sweeter 
than  the  thrilling  note  of  the  silver  bugle  which  an- 
nounced the  dawn  or  birth  of  the  year  of  jubilee. 
"The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  His  Son,  cleanseth  us 
from  all  sin." 

Deplorable  as  it  is  to  fall  into  sin,  yet  God  never 
intended  that  we  should  sink  in  paralyzing  despair 
and  perish,  in  case  of  the  wrong  thought,  word,  or 
deed.  He  would  have  His  grieving  child  instantly 
confess  all  to  Him,  promise  to  be  more  faithful  in  the 
future,  and  believe  that  the  blood  of  Christ  cleanses 
him  from  this  most  humiliating  of  sins,  a  sin  commit- 
ted after  the  reception  of  grace  and  light,  and  Christ 
had  become  the  Lord  and  Master  of  the  heart  and  life. 
Thank  God,  the  blood  cleanses  even  then  and  there! 

The  fifth  thought  of  comfort  in  the  verse  is  that 


THE  CLEANSING  BLOOD.  205 

the  blood  cleanses  now.  The  verb  is  in  the  present 
tense.  It  does  not  say  that  the  blood  will  cleanse; 
but  that  it  does  cleanse;  it  cleanses  now. 

Then  if  it  cleanses  now,  why  should  one  wait  a 
week,  day,  hour,  or  a  single  minute  for  the  soul's 
purification  and  restoration. 

This  one  verse  dashes  to  pieces  the  old  Dark  Age 
Theology,  where  Time,  Bodily  Humiliation,  Peter's 
Pence,  and  Pilgrimages  were  invested  with  atoning, 
saving,  and  sanctifying  power,  and  so  Christ  was 
robbed  of  His  glory.  To  this  day  evangelical  Chris- 
tianity is  burdened  with  these  old,  false  Middle  Age 
teachings. 

There  is  nothing  in  bodily  mortifications,  and  the 
flight  of  years  to  cleanse  the  soul.  It  is  all  right  to 
groan  and  humble  ourselves ;  but  it  is  the  Blood,  after 
all,  that  can  alone  cleanse ;  and,  thank  God !  it  cleanses 
now!  The  instant  that  the  soul  really  believes  this, 
light,  joy,  and  deliverance  is  sure  to  come.  If  the 
blessed  fact  is  turned  upon  any  sin  in  the  life,  or  all 
sin,  it  is  bound  to  go.  If  directed  against  the  sin 
which  remaineth  in  them  who  are  truly  regenerate, 
who  are  walking  in  the  light,  that  also  will  as  speedily 
and  consciously  depart;  the  Holy  Ghost  not  only 
bearing  witness  to  it,  but  the  soul  of  the  man  himself 
all  conscious  of  the  departure.  Here  is  where  men 
are  falling  or  rising  to-day.  Here  is  where  they  are 


206  HEART  TALKS. 

floundering  or  flying.  It  is  as  they  have  read  and  re- 
ceived this  marvelous  Bible  passage. 

If  our  faith  can  not  grasp  the  wonderful  state- 
ment made  in  it,  then,  of  course,  we  are  shut  out  of  its 
blessedness,  for  Christ  can  do  no  mighty  work  where 
there  is  unbelief.  If  we  do  not  believe  that  the  blood 
of  Christ  can  destroy  and  take  away  inbred  sin,  He 
can  not  do  it.  But  if  we  can  and  do  believe  that  He 
can,  and  that  He  does,  then,  all  glory  and  praise  to 
God!  the  blood  cleanses  us  now  from  all  sin.  He 
Himself  has  uttered  the  amazing  words,  "According 
to  your  faith,  so  shall  it  be  unto  you."  Faith  is  not 
only  the  condition  of  salvation,  but  the  measure  of 
salvation.  Again,  Christ  speaks,  and  says,  "All  things 
are  possible  to  him  that  believeth." 

Well  might  men  say,  after  this  utterance,  "Lord, 
I  believe!"  Why  should  they  with  tears  add,  "Help 
thou  mine  unbelief."  Faith  honors  God,  faith  pleases 
God,  and  faith  in  the  power  of  the  blood  to  cleanse 
now  from  any  and  all  sin,  will  bring  the  blessing  de- 
sired down  upon  the  soul  every  time,  and  world  with- 
out end. 


XXII. 

DWELLING  AMONG  LIONS. 

SOME  Scripture  passages  can  only  be  unlocked  by 
experience.  We  may  think  we  understand;  but 
it  requires  more  than  a  knowledge  of  grammar,  rhet- 
oric, and  the  laws  of  exegesis  to  clear  up  the  mystery. 

When  David  said  that  his  soul  had  dwelt  among 
lions,  a  child's  idea  at  once  would  be  that  he  had 
been  in  the  woods  with  wild  beasts.  This  interpre- 
tation with  the  flight  of  time  disappears,  and  some- 
thing of  the  truth  dawns  upon  the  mind;  but  the 
wholeness  of  it  remains  for  the  deeply  spiritual  heart 
to  comprehend. 

It  is  not  long  in  the  Christian  life  before  the  child 
of  God  discovers  the  lions  which  David  speaks  of, 
and  he  will  freely  confess  that  for  some  reasons  the 
animals  of  the  forest  would  be  pleasanter  companions. 

One  of  the  dreadful  facts  about  souls  which  de- 
part from  God  into  sin,  is  the  steady  and  unmistak- 
able drift  into  the  habits,  lives,  and,  finally,  the  appear- 
ance of  animals.  The  devil,  who  is  a  fallen  spirit,  is 
called  a  serpent  and  dragon,  and  with  profound  reason 
for  such  nomenclature.  The  gravitation  of  ten  thou- 
sand devils  is  seen  first  to  be  in  the  coarse,  brutal  ani- 

207 


208  HEART  TALKS. 

mal  nature  of  a  demoniac,  and  then  from  him  into  a 
drove  of  hogs. 

When  human  souls  cut  loose  from  God,  the  drift 
to  the  animal  life  is  sure  and  evident.  Music,  liter- 
ature, and  other  things  may  retard  the  progress  some- 
what to  human  eyes ;  but  the  awful  undertow  is  there, 
and  the  man  is  being  steadily  carried  out  to  the  sea 
of  fleshly  grossness  and  carnality.  The  forces  in  the 
man's  will  and  pursuits,  and  in  the  refinement  of  the 
social  circle,  are  felt  by  and  by  not  to  be  equal  to  the 
strange  power  which  is  dragging  the  spirit  from  like- 
ness to  God,  and  sinking  it  into  the  habits,  ways,  ap- 
petites, selfishness,  and  groveling  existence  of  an 
animal. 

Another  curious  thing  is,  that  such  men  and  wo- 
men  do  not  adopt  one  type,  but  fall,  almost  insensibly 
to  themselves,  into  every  variety  of  animal  life  known 
to  man.  So,  in  looking  upon  the  multitudes  of  earth, 
we  see  not  only  lions,  but  wolves,  foxes,  hogs,  goats, 
monkeys,  snakes,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  human  me- 
nagerie. I  hardly  need  ask  the  reader  if  he  has  seen 
men  and  women  who  have  impressed  him  in  appear- 
ance and  ways  with  the  animals  just  mentioned. 

Neither  jeans  nor  broadcloth  can  hide  the  hog  at 
the  table  who  evidently  is  not  eating  to  live,  but  living 
to  eat.;  A  wolf  looking  at  a  lamb  is  a  familiar  spec- 
tacle in  society.  The  human  monkey  who  lives  to  be 


DWELLING  AMONG  LIONS,  209 

laughed  at  is  in  every  neighborhood.  And  who  has 
not  seen  the  eyes  of  the  fox  fastened  on  you  in  office, 
parlor,  or  church ;  and  felt  the  crawly  approach  of  the 
snake,  the  touch  of  whose  hand  and  soft,  slippery 
style  of  speech  created  a  sickening  sensation  similar  to 
that  when  a  serpent  is  discovered  to  be  near. 

These  horrible  likenesses  instantly  disappear  under 
the  regenerating  and  sanctifying  power  of  God;  and 
in  this  fact  we  obtain  the  second  proof  of  what  has 
been  stated,  that  a  spirit,  human  or  angelic,  which 
departs  from  God  becomes  animalized. 

David's  affliction  was  in  being  compelled  to  dwell 
awhile  among  men  whom  he  could  best  describe  as 
lions.  He  may  have  been  thinking  only  of  the  feroc- 
ity of  the  beast ;  but  it  is  doubtful.  The  full  photo- 
graph reveals  a  catlike  approach,  treacherous  waiting, 
the  sudden  spring,  terrible  roar,  crushing  blow,  grind- 
ing teeth,  tearing  claws,  and  all  the  vast  strength  and 
cruel  nature  of  the  great  brute  of  the  forest. 

With  such  men  as  Saul  and  Doeg  to  deal  with, 
and  such  characters  as  Joab,  Abishai,  Ahithophel,  and 
Shimei  about  him,  the  noble,  magnanimous,  spiritual 
David  felt  the  repugnance  and  suffering  analogous 
to  one  condemned  to  dwell  with  wild  animals  in  the 
wilderness. 

Christ  knew  what  it  was  to  be  among  lions  when 

He  looked  into  the  pitiless  faces  of  the  high  priest 
14 


210  HEART  TALKS. 

and  elders,  as  He  stood  arrested  and  bound  before 
them.  He  also  saw  as  well  as  felt  them  in  the  dread- 
ful treatment  He  received  from  the  hands  of  a  brutal 
soldiery,  by  whom  He  was  tormented  for  hours 
through  the  night. 

Paul  was  among  lions  when  he  stood  before  the 
Sanhedrim,  or  confronted  the  Jewish  populace  as, 
enraged  over  his  religious  experience,  they  cast  dust 
in  the  air  and  howled  for  his  death. 

A  Christian  has  lived  a  very  obscure  and  solitary 
life  who  does  not  in  time  get  to  know  the  awful  depths 
in  the  expression,  "dwelling  among  lions."  All  of 
us  have  been  among  the  lions.  Some  only  for  a  little 
while;  but  others,  through  God's  providence,  have 
to  abide  with  them  a  long  time. 

All  will  agree  that  for  a  child  of  God  to  be  com- 
pelled to  stay  several  hours  in  a  room  filled  with  drink- 
ing, gambling,  cursing  men,  would  be  like  being  cast 
among  lions.  But  the  meaning  goes  deeper  still.  The 
verse  has  profounder  and  more  painful  applications. 

It  is  to  live  year  after  year  in  a  godless  community, 
where  Christ  is  forgotten,  the  Sabbath  desecrated,  the 
Bible  and  religion  laughed  at,  while  the  devil  is  the 
unquestioned  monarch  and  ruler  of  the  place.  The 
actual  sight  of  lions  rolling  over  each  other,  now  gam- 
boling and  playing,  and  now  fighting  each  other  with 
fearful  roars  and  gaping  wounds,  would  not  be  a  more 


DWELLING  AMONG  LIONS.  211 

dreadful  spectacle  to  behold  than  what  many  of  God's 
children  are  compelled  to  witness  from  day  to  day  and 
year  to  year,  in  towns  and  cities  that  seem  utterly 
given  up  to  every  kind  of  folly  and  sin. 

Dwelling  among  lions  is  to  be  a  member  of  a  cold, 
dead,  formal,  worldly  congregation,  where  a  conver- 
sion never  takes  place,  where  genuine  revivals  are 
laughed  at  and  denounced,  where  the  class-meeting  is 
abandoned,  and  the  church  given  over  to  lectures, 
Chautauquan  circles,  church  suppers,  ice-cream  festi- 
vals, grab-bag  performances,  and  every  conceivable 
kind  of  amusement. 

Dwelling  among  lions  is  to  be  a  member  of  a 
Conference  Synod,  Presbytery,  or  Council,  where  no 
one  believes  that  God  can  and  does  sanctify  the  soul 
instantly  in  answer  to  consecration,  prayer,  and  faith. 
The  roar  and  rending  that  takes  place  over  such  a 
testimony  and  Church  report  will  show  that  all  the 
lions  are  not  dead  yet. 

It  is  to  stand  up  in  some  Preachers'  Meeting  and 
claim  the  experience  of  entire  sanctification,  and 
gently  urge  the  blessing  upon  others.  The  sight  of 
a  half-dozen  persons  springing,  so  to  speak,  at  the 
testifier's  throat  in  loud  and  angry  denial,  will  throw 
considerable  light  on  David's  words,  "My  soul  hath 
dwelt  among  lions." 

It  is  to  sit  in  a  car,  stage-coach,  or  at  a  hotel 


212  HEART  TALKS. 

table  where  escape  is  impossible,  and  be  compelled 
to  listen  for  minutes  or  hours  to  the  profanity  or 
obscenity  of  young  traveling  agents. 

It  is  to  be  a  member  of  an  irreligious  household, 
and  feel  as  lonely  and  even  lonelier  than  Robinson 
Crusoe  on  his  island,  or  a  hermit  in  the  desert. 

It  is  to  be  united  for  life  to  a  man  or  woman 
whose  unspiritual,  carnal,  or  worldly  life  makes  a  gap 
and  chasm  between  the  husband  and  wife,  like  that 
between  a  man  and  an  animal.  There  are  mutual, 
instinctive  shrinkings  from  each  other,  as  a  man  would 
draw  back  from  an  animal,  or  an  animal  would  depart 
from  a  man.  But  the  laws  of  God  and  the  State  are 
such  that  the  ghastly  companionship  can  not  be 
broken. 

Again,  the  experience  is  seen  in  being  thrown  with 
very  disagreeable  religious  people.  They  claim  the 
nature  of  the  sheep;  but  keep  up  the  old-time  roar, 
the  slash  of  the  claw,  the  bite  of  the  tooth,  and  the 
heavy  blow  of  the  paw.  It  seems  impossible  for  them 
to  let  a  person  come  into  or  leave  their  presence  with- 
out inflicting  a  gaping  wound.  "The  sermon  was 
wrong,"  "the  exegesis  was  faulty,"  "the  manner  was 
not  pleasing,"  "the  voice  was  too  loud,"  "the  dress 
was  objectionable,"  and  so  on,  endlessly.  They  are 
self-commissioned  to  set  everybody  right  but  them- 
selves. They  have  slaps,  scratches,  bites  for  all  their 


DWELLING  AMONG  LIONS.  213 

brethren  and  sisters,  which  they  call  heavenly  rebukes 
and  revelations.  They  are  Divinely  appointed  to  go 
around  and  tell  everybody  how  to  dress  and  who  to 
marry,  and  how  to  do  generally.  They  have  received 
a  revelation  from  God  that  it  is  wrong  for  a  man  to 
wear  a  mustache,  while  women  must  wear  Mother 
Hubbard-looking  dresses,  and  let  their  hair  hang 
down  their  backs  like  the  mane  of  a  Shetland  pony. 
They  have,  moreover,  just  received  some  new  light, 
with  some  new  notions,  and  everybody  must  come 
right  over  into  their  way  of  thinking,  or  take  the  con- 
sequences of  going  at  once  into  backsliding,  and 
finally  into  hell. 

Again,  the  lions  are  seen  in  the  shape  of  argu- 
mentative and  disputatious,  religious  people.  They 
look  in  the  midst  of  their  pulpit,  platform,  and  pen 
deliverances,  not  to  say  attacks,  as  if  they  were  after 
mashing  and  killing  a  man,  instead  of  saving  him. 
Everybody  is  wrong,  and  they  are  right.  They  have 
just  received  the  last  edition  of  the  Bible  from  heaven. 
The  world  is  getting  worse  all  the  time;  Saturday  is 
the  true  Sunday;  Turkey  and  the  whole  Moham- 
medan Empire  was  to  go  down  in  1898;  and  whoso- 
ever will  not  believe  and  receive  these  things  ought 
to  be  kicked  out  of  the  community  and  sent  to  hell  in 
a  body.  This  is  just  the  way  it  looks  and  sounds. 

Still  again,  the  lions  are  beheld  in  the  form  of 


214  HEART  TALKS. 

untidy  religious  people.  The  apology  made  for  them 
is  that  they  are  eccentric.  The  plain  truth  in  English 
is,  that  in  body  and  apparel  they  are  unclean.  We 
expect  nothing  better  of  lions,  for  they  have  neither 
soap  nor  towels,  and  have  to  wear  one  suit  for  a  life- 
time. But  there  is  no  excuse  for  human  beings,  with 
springs  and  rivers  flowing  around  them  in  great  num- 
bers and  overflowing  abundance,  while  soap  can  be 
had  for  a  cent  a  bar. 

It  is  a  great  mistake  to  quote  the  wild  life  and 
rough  manners  of  John  the  Baptist,  and  the  unkempt 
condition  of  Elijah  as  God's  idea  of  a  man's  life  and 
appearance.  These  two  men  were  great,  not  because 
of  these  things,  but  in  spite  of  them.  The  Baptist  is 
not  heaven's  conception  of  the  perfect  man,  with  his 
shaggy  mantle,  food  of  locusts,  almost  clotheless 
body,  and  generally  ascetic  life. 

Jesus  Christ  is  the  ideal  man!  With  his  tunic, 
sandals,  and  the  garment  woven  without  a  seam,  He 
was  well  clothed.  And  He  came  eating  and  drink- 
ing. He  was  the  sound,  wholesome,  morally  sym- 
metrical man,  who  is  worshipped  around  the  world 
to-day,  and  is  drawing  all  men  unto  Himself.  The 
children  were  not  afraid  of  Him,  but  nestled  in  His 
arms ;  the  women  sat  at  his  feet ;  the  sick  and  troubled 
flocked  to  Him,  and  as  the  Pharisees  themselves  said, 
"Behold  the  whole  world  is  gone  after  Him." 


XXIII. 
THE  BLESSINGS  OF  TIME. 

TIME  is  a  segment  cut  out  of  the  rim  or  circle  of 
Eternity.  It  is  a  kind  of  projection  or  loop  from 
an  endless  line.  It  comes  out  of  the  eternal  as  an  in- 
finitesimal part  of  it,  and  is  to  be  swallowed  up  by  it 
as  a  raindrop  falls  back  into  the  ocean,  from  which 
it  was  originally  lifted.  The  angel  with  uplifted  hand 
foretells  its  approaching  funeral,  and  declares  in 
trumpet  tones,  "That  there  should  be  time  no  longer." 

But  with  all  its  comparative  littleness  as  to  dura- 
tion, what  tremendous  events  have  transpired  and 
will  yet  occur  between  its  two  gates — the  Beginning 
and  the  End.  The  creation  of  a  race  is  seen,  its  thrill- 
ing history  of  sin,  sorrow,  defeats,  redemption,  strug- 
gles, victories,  death,  resurrection,  and  the  final  judg- 
ment and  everlasting  division  into  the  Lost  and  Saved. 
Then  comes  the  closing  scene  of  the  heavens  rolling 
up,  the  earth  on  fire,  Satan  cast  into  hell,  and  Christ 
victorious  over  all  for  evermore. 

To  the  individual  life  and  history,  time  is  scarcely 
less  momentous,  for  it  brings  to  each  soul  the  very 
things  that  have  come  in  a  colossal  scale  to  the  world. 
Between  the  cradle  and  the  grave  each  man  and  wo- 
man is  made  to  realize  the  fact  of  two  other  worlds 

215 


216  HEART  TALKS. 

besides  this,  that  are  contending  for  the  soul ;  the  one 
to  pull  down  and  destroy,  and  the  other  to  uplift  and 
save.  Sin,  sorrow,  sickness,  failure,  suffering  in  many 
forms,  come  to  all.  So,  also,  does  salvation  appear, 
with  pardon,  peace,  purity,  usefulness,  happiness,  and 
blessedness  in  its  hands,  as  gifts  to  the  believing, 
obedient  soul. 

To  some,  time  is  only  a  curse  and  a  burden 
through  lives  of  evil.  They  are  glad  to  get  rid  of  it. 
There  are  others  who  not  the  less  feel  the  sorrowful 
load  which  the  years  bring  to  the  mind,  heart,  and 
body,  but  through  Christ  have  learned  to  endure  all 
patiently,  in  hope  of  an  immortal  crown  and  joys 
that  never  die  beyond  the  grave. 

There  is  still  a  third  class  who,  not  the  less  sensi- 
tive to  the  ills,  pains,  hardships,  disappointments, 
mortifications,  crosses,  and  troubles  which  are  neces- 
sarily connected  with  an  earthly  existence,  yet  have 
made  such  discoveries  through  the  teaching  of  the 
Spirit,  that  they  plainly  see  how  time,  under  God's 
blessing,  is  a  friend  to  grace,  and  does  through  Divine 
power  what  nothing  else  could  possibly  do. 

One  thing  it  brings  to  the  true  child  of  God  is  the 
spirit  of  moderation. 

The  force  of  a  devoted  Christian  life,  for  all  its 
desirableness,  is  not  without  peril.  A  stationary  en- 
gine, as  it  lies  sidetracked  without  coal,  water,  or  fire, 


THE  BLESSINGS  OF  TIME.  217 

is  helpless  and  useless.  We  have  plenty  of  such  in 
the  Church  to-day.  But  an  engine  trembling  with  a 
mighty  head  of  steam  needs  a  steady  hand  and  level 
head  at  the  throttle;  for  some  have  gone  too  fast, 
some  run  beyond  the  depot,  some  pitch  down  a  bank, 
and  others  are  blown  up. 

There  is  a  danger  of  an  intolerant,  arbitrary,  and 
even  fierce  spirit  creeping  into  the  hearts  of  the  newly 
converted  and  sanctified,  under  the  mighty  inflow  of 
Divine  glory  and  power.  The  conservation  and 
proper  direction  and  use  of  this  great  spiritual  force 
is  not  at  once  learned  by  them.  The  boiler  is  injured 
at  times  by  heatings  not  commanded  of  God,  the  bell 
and  whistle  terrifies  and  paralyzes  rather  than  warns, 
and  sometimes  people  are  run  over  who  might  have 
been  saved.  The  cowcatcher  is  put  at  an  angle,  not 
so  much  to  lift  up  as  to  grind  and  crush.  People  are 
grieved  whom  God  has  not  grieved. 

Other  Christians  have  as  much  steam  as  the  fiery, 
new  engine  on  the  road ;  but  have  distributed  it  evenly 
on  the  gospel  train,  so  that  not  only  is  a  proper  speed 
kept  up,  but  the  passengers  are  made  comfortable  as 
well;  while  the  new  locomotive  is  mindful  mainly  of 
its  whistle  and  high  rate  of  running,  and  its  passen- 
gers, missing  certain  genial,  heavenly,  Christ-like  in- 
fluences that  should  stream  backward  in  proper  chan- 
nels, slowly  freeze. 


2l8  HEART  TALKS. 

The  new  engine  is  apt  to  indulge  in  caustic 
remarks  at  the  expense  of  the  older  locomotives,  albeit 
some  of  them  for  many  years  have  maintained  the 
unbroken  record,  "On  Time." 

The  only  hope  for  the  case  just  mentioned  is  to  be 
found  in  what  Christ  will  be  able  to  do  through  time. 
Nothing  else  can  do  it — light,  argument,  exhortation, 
warning,  example,  and  even  the  Divine  patience  and 
pity,  will  not  effect  the  change  from  intolerance  and 
arbitrariness  to  a  spirit  of  gentleness  and  moderation. 
But  time,  through  grace,  will  do  it.  The  man  will 
little  by  little  see  his  honest,  intellectual  mistakes,  his 
misjudgments  of  men,  and  his  erroneous  conceptions 
of  truth  and  duty.  What  a  relief  all  around ! 

Great  spiritual  light  poured  into  the  mind  does  not 
always  mean  that  the  head  is  wise  and  the  judgment 
will  be  infallible.  Then,  again,  we  can  not  read  the 
hearts  of  men.  Some  people  do  not  parade  all  they 
are  doing  for  God  and  man.  In  every  Church  I  have 
served  as  pastor,  there  were  individuals  who  would 
never  give  publicly,  nor  even  sign  a  card ;  but  never- 
theless they  contributed  a  great  deal  more  than  some 
who  cried  out  in  tones  that  could  be  heard  all  over  the 
Church,  "Put  me  down  twenty-five  dollars !" 

I  once  thought  a  man  was  niggardly;  but  found 
afterwards  he  was  supporting  two  preachers  in  a  for- 
eign land,  and  saying  nothing  about  the  matter. 


THE  BLESSINGS  OF  TIME.  2ig 

L/ittle  by  little  with  time  the  eyes  get  open.  Our 
lips  are  not  as  ready  with  criticism  and  judgment  as 
of  yore.  With  no  less  zeal  for  God  and  His  cause, 
yet  it  is  now  a  zeal  according  to  knowledge.  The 
moderation  is  not  a  cooling  off  of  religious  experi- 
ence, nor  a  curtailing  of  work,  nor  a  withholding  of 
testimony.  It  is,  instead,  a  deliverance  from  hastiness 
of  judgment,  jumping  to  conclusions,  and  quickness 
to  suspect  and  speak  hardly  and  severely  of  others. 
It  is  the  departure  of  a  domineering,  autocratic  spirit 
and  manner.  It  is  the  correcting  of  pure  love,  the 
mellowing  of  the  Christian  into  a  calm-eyed,  level- 
headed, sweet-hearted,  kindly-tongued  man.  He  is 
as  true  to  God  and  the  gospel  as  ever;  but  all  the 
more  true  in  that  he  has  learned  to  be  undeviatingly 
kind  to  men  whom  God  made  and  Christ  died  for. 
He  has  the  spirit  of  moderation. 

A  deeper  apprehension  of  what  we  mean  is  to  be 
had  by  contrasting  the  counsel  and  speeches  of  young 
men  on  the  floor  of  Convention  and  Conference,  with 
the  utterances  of  the  older  men.  A  second  illus- 
tration is  beheld  in  the  loquacity  and  bearing  of  a 
young  graduate  from  a  theological  college  when 
placed  in  charge  of  his  first  work,  or  in  the  company 
of  men  that  he  thinks  have  not  had  the  advantages  he 
has  enjoyed. 

An  eminent  man  once  said  that,  "Early  in  life  as 


220  HEART  TALKS. 

a  student  I  thought  I  knew  everything;  later,  noth- 
ing ;  still  later,  something."  Here  was  moderation. 

Another  man  said  in  the  beginning  of  his  Christian 
life  he  thought  everybody  was  white.  Then,  with 
certain  revelations  and  experiences,  he  concluded  all 
were  black.  Now  he  says  all  look  gray.  We  judge 
that  he  meant  he  had  found  good  traits  in  bad  people, 
and  objectionable  things  in  good  people,  and  so  mix- 
ing his  colors  he  got  a  neutral  tint  on  his  glasses  with 
which  he  viewed  the  world.  While  not  accepting  all 
of  his  theology,  yet  it  would  be  well  to  quickly  recog- 
nize the  good  in  all,  and  at  the  same  time  see  if  our 
own  willfulness,  headiness,  quickness  to  judge  and 
condemn,  may  not  be  the  means  of  turning  still  other 
people  into  critics  and  judges  of  ourselves,  and  so 
cause  them  to  think  as  they  observe  these  dark  lines 
against  our  white  professions,  that,  after  all,  there  is 
no  pure  white  in  the  Christian  life ;  that  gray  is  all  that 
we  can  hope  for  possibly. 

Another  blessing  that  comes  with  the  flight  of  time 
is  what  I  would  call  the  outgrowing  of  certain  things. 
Some  of  us  remember  when  aprons  and  knee-pants 
were  discarded ;  also  when  marbles  and  tops  failed  to 
interest  us.  As  children  we  had  hung  breathless  over 
the  stories  of  "Robin  Hood,"  "Robinson  Crusoe,"  and 
the  "Swiss  Family  Robinson."  One  day,  when  near- 
ing  the  twenties,  we  took  up  the  books  and  tried  to 


THE  BLESSINGS  OF  TIME.  221 

read  them,  wondering  where  the  charm  was  which 
once  we  felt  in  their  pages.  They  now  wearied  us. 
There  was  still  fascination  in  the  books  for  a  younger 
generation ;  but  not  for  us,  for  we  had  outgrown  them 
in  mind,  as  our  body  had  outgrown  the  little  shirt- 
waists we  once  wore  on  the  days  we  could  walk  under 
our  father's  dining-table  without  touching  it  with  the 
top  of  our  head. 

The  soul  is  constantly  advancing  and  developing, 
and  grows  faster  when  properly  treated.  It  is  a  piti- 
ful thing  to  see  it  kept  down  to  playthings  and  picture- 
books  in  the  intellectual  and  spiritual  life,  when  it 
ought  to  be  grappling  with  the  greatest  truths  and 
solving  the  deepest  problems. 

We  have  all  noticed  how  people  tire  of  various 
things  after  a  few  repetitions.  They  weary  of  certain 
amusements  and  accomplishments,  become  bored  with 
visiting  and  visitors,  and  fagged  to  death  with  travel. 
Yet  there  was  a  time  when  these  things  were  like 
Paradises  to  them.  They  still  charm  other  novices  for 
a  while ;  but  the  older  and  wiser  ones  turn  in  other  and 
new  directions  for  contentment  and  satisfaction.  The 
explanation  is  that  the  soul  is  still  growing.  Made  for 
the  illimitable  and  the  eternal,  how  can  this  planet, 
with  all  that  it  contains,  satisfy  permanently  a  spirit 
that  Christ  says  is  greater  than  the  world,  and  is  al- 
ways reaching  out  for  something  higher,  mightier, 


222  HEART  TALKS. 

and  better  than  it  has?  So,  by  and  by  the  world  itself, 
with  all  its  pleasures  and  pursuits,  becomes  an  out- 
grown thing. 

The  idea  of  an  individual  going  back  on  earthly 
routes  for  the  satisfaction  and  rilling  of  mind  and 
heart,  is  as  absurd  as  a  man  trying  to  wear  the  gar- 
ments and  read  the  books  of  boyhood  days.  He  looks 
on  the  same  scenes  that  once  made  his  heart  leap; 
but  the  heart  never  bounds  again  as  it  did  at  the  first 
sight.  He  has  outgrown  and  passed  beyond  them. 

In  the  religious  life  we  are  told  to  leave  the  first 
principles,  and  to  go  on  to  perfection.  This  does  not 
mean  that  we  give  them  up  in  the  sense  of  renunci- 
ation of  their  benefits  and  denial  of  their  truth,  any 
more  than  a  man  gives  up  the  alphabet  when  he  gets 
to  reading,  and  takes  up  the  study  of  history,  art,  and 
science. 

We  have  been  made  to  marvel  at  preachers  spend- 
ing years  in  the  discussion  of  water  baptism,  laying 
on  of  hands,  grades  in  the  ministry,  etc.  Time  was 
we  tarried  there;  but  we  saw  something  better  on 
ahead,  and  went  on. 

Some  ministers  are  wedded  to  the  ecclesiastical 
regalia  of  beaver  hat  and  clerical  coat.  Others  prefer 
to  lay  them  aside,  and  do  so  without  any  condemna- 
tion of  heart  or  lips  of  those  who  prefer  the  minis- 
terial uniform.  But  in  their  hearts  they  feel  they  have 


THE  BLESSINGS  OF  TIME.  223 

in  a  sense  outgrown  the  garb,  and  prefer  to  be  recog- 
nized as  Christ's  servants  in  other  ways. 

Some  delight  in  titles,  and,  as  Christ  says,  love 
to  be  called  Rabbi,  Rabbi,  in  the  market-places.  The 
day  comes  when  all  these  things,  together  with  the 
semicircular  row  of  chairs  on  the  conspicuous  plat- 
form, get  to  be  exceedingly  small,  and  become  per- 
fectly sickening  to  the  soul. 

Some  rejoice  in  the  red  tape  and  machinery  of  the 
Church  and  Conference.  Some  delight  in  the  office 
of  Conference  secretary,  chairman  of  committees,  and 
places  on  Boards  of  all  kinds.  Others  have  seen  the 
Spirit  in  the  wheels,  have  beheld  a  man's  hand  in  the 
midst  of  the  complex  machinery  which  Ezekiel  de- 
scribes, and  have  had  such  a  vision  of  a  marred  coun- 
tenance with  a  crown  of  thorns  on  a  blood- 
besprinkled  brow,  that  they  can  not  with  any  heart  or 
willingness  go  back  to  anything  that  is  less  spiritual 
and  divine.  They  have  outgrown  the  old  life,  have 
cracked  the  shell  and  got  the  kernel,  have  stripped 
away  the  envelope,  and  stand  thrilled  with  the  sweet, 
heavenly  handwriting  they  have  found  there. 

Let  those  who  love  platforms,  big  occasions,  pub- 
lic orations,  chaplaincies,  fraternities  and  lodges,  fetes 
and  orations,  Church  lobbying  and  wire-pulling,  se- 
cret meetings  and  councils,  dignities  and  honors — let 
them  go  after  them.  We  would  not  condemn  them. 


224  HEART  TALKS. 

We  only  say  that  the  soul,  all-panting  for  Christ  and 
Christ  alone,  has  seen  Him,  and  is  in  full  pursuit,  re- 
fusing to  be  diverted  or  turned  aside  by  any  object, 
and  determined  to  settle  on  nothing  less  or  lower  than 
Jesus,  the  Son  of  God.  The  dead  can  bury  the  dead; 
he  proposes  to  preach  the  gospel  with  the  Holy  Ghost 
sent  down  from  heaven.  Men  may  worship  the  Tem- 
ple; but  he  is  after  the  Lord  of  the  Temple.  Men 
may  dispute  and  wrangle  about  the  chief  seats  in  the 
synagogue ;  they  can  have  them  all ;  he  does  not  desire 
a  single  one;  he  is  perfectly  satisfied  in  sitting  at  the 
feet  of  the  Savior.  He  craves  no  newspaper  puffs  and 
notices;  wants  no  college  complimentary  degrees; 
fishes  for  no  praise  or  flattery,  and  is  not  one  particle 
hurt  in  being  overlooked  and  set  aside.  The  figure 
of  the  suffering,  dying  Christ  on  the  cross  has  been 
burned  into  his  soul  by  the  baptism  of  fire,  and  weaned 
him  forever  from  the  littleness,  hollowness,  fussiness, 
swagger,  and  strut  of  life.  For  the  first  time  he  knows 
what  Paul  meant  when  he  said,  "Let  no  man  trouble 
me;  for  I  bear  in  my  body  the  marks  of  the  Lord 
Jesus ;"  and  for  the  first  time  he  goes  to  the  very  bot- 
tom of  the  hymn : 

"  When  I  survey  the  wondrous  cross 

On  which  the  Prince  of  Glory  died, 
My  richest  gain  I  count  but  loss, 
And  pour  contempt  on  all  my  pride." 


XXIV. 
THE  FALL  OF  BALAAM. 

THE  word  fall  suggests  the  thought  of  height  or 
position  from  which  to  be  cast  down.  A  man 
flat  on  the  ground  has  nothing  in  a  physical  sense 
to  fall  from  or  fall  to.  The  Bible  says  that  Judas  "fell," 
which  quiet  statement  is  sufficient  to  shut  the  mouths 
of  those  who  say  he  never  possessed  redeeming  grace. 
If  answer  is  made  that  it  is  said  he  fell  from  the 
"apostleship,"  our  reply  is  that  the  idea  of  Christ  in- 
ducting an  unconverted  man  into  the  ministry  is  sim- 
ply unthinkable.  Judas  fell  from  the  apostleship, 
which  position  means  more  than  an  office,  and  stands 
for  spiritual  light,  life,  and  grace  as  well. 

And  so  Balaam  fell. 

This  means  that  he  had  something  to  fall  from. 
That  he  was  a  good  man  to  begin  with,  no  thoughtful 
reader  of  the  Bible  or  student  of  the  human  heart 
can  deny. 

In  the  first  place  he  was  a  prophet.  Not  self- 
instituted  ;  but  God  called  and  used.  The  fact  of  this 
ecclesiastical  position  shows  that  he  was  all  right  at 

first.    He  who  said,  "If  the  blind  lead  the  blind,  they 
15  225 


226  HEART  TALKS. 

both  will  fall  into  the  ditch,"  will  hardly  be  guilty  of 
the  inconsistency  of  placing  an  unconverted  man  over 
the  unsaved.  The  preacher  or  prophet  of  God's 
choosing  and  ordination  is  bound  to  be  a  good  man. 
He  may  fall  away  in  after  years ;  but  when  the  call  and 
installment  take  place,  he  is  all  right. 

Two  indications  of  Balaam's  piety  might  be  over- 
looked by  the  hasty  reader.  One  appears  in  the  state- 
ment that  when  the  servants  of  Balak  came  with  the 
request  that  he  would  come  and  curse  a  certain  people 
that  were  covering  the  land,  Balaam's  prompt  reply 
was  that  he  would  have  to  ask  God.  This  unquestion- 
ably shows  a  close  walk  with  the  Lord.  Let  the 
Christian  reader  ask  himself  if  the  first  impulse  with 
him,  and  immediate  practice,  is  to  bring  to  God  for 
guidance  and  approval  everything  that  comes  up  in 
life  in  the  way  of  duties,  and  especially  matters  of  per- 
sonal advantage. 

We  read  that  Balaam  obtained  an  early  reply  from 
God  telling  him  not  to  go  with  the  men.  This  imme- 
diate answer  from  heaven  is  another  striking  proof 
of  the  man's  acceptance  and  spiritual  standing.  Some 
who  read  these  lines  will  recall  how  many  hours  have 
been  spent  by  them  on  their  knees  awaiting  light  and 
a  response  from  God  in  regard  to  certain  steps  of  life. 
But  there  is  a  life. where  the  soul  gets  constant  and 
instant  direction.  Balaam  in  this  first  view  of  him 


THE  FALL   OF  BALAAM.  227 

seems  to  have  been  at  that  point,  or,  rather,  on  that 
high  moral  ground. 

Up  to  this  moment  the  man  seems  blameless,  but 
after  this  we  get  an  unmistakable  glimpse  of  inbred 
sin  and  the  peculiar  direction  it  took  in  his  case.  Next 
day,  we  read,  the  servants  of  Balak  returned  with 
still  greater  urgings  that  he  would  come,  and  with 
assurance  of  reward.  Right  here  is  seen  the  inner 
trouble,  "the  ground  of  the  heart"  of  the  prophet,  in 
his  own  words,  that  he  would  go  in  and  see  if  the 
Lord  would  allow  him  to  depart  this  time.  Here  at 
once  flashes  into  view  the  "proneness  to  wander,"  the 
"bent  to  backsliding,"  which  the  Bible  recognizes  in 
God's  people,  and  which  the  Lord  wants  to  burn  out 
with  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  fire. 

It  should  have  been  sufficient  for  Balaam  that  God 
had  answered  in  the  negative  on  the  day  before.  God 
does  not  change,  and  if  it  was  wrong  for  the  prophet 
to  go  yesterday,  it  was  wrong  for  him  to  go  to-day. 
But  the  inclination  toward  a  forbidden  thing  was  al- 
ready in  him,  and  growing  as  well.  Already  his  eyes 
were  fastened  on  the  "wages  of  unrighteousness," 
which,  according  to  the  apostle,  wrought  his  ruin. 

Some  have  wondered  that  the  Lord  permitted  him 
finally  to  go.  But  he  was  no  more  allowed  to  do  as 
he  did  than  any  Christian  is  sanctioned  in  wrong- 
doing. Man  is  a  free  moral  agent,  and  can  not  be 


228  HEART  TALKS. 

forcibly  and  physically  restrained.  When  Christians 
go  into  sin,  they  realize  that  they  have  an  indwelling 
power  to  do  so,  in  spite  of  light,  grace,  warnings,  re- 
bukes, and  protests  from  man  and  God.  In  this  power 
Balaam  went.  The  Bible  says  God  went  out  to  "with- 
stand" him.  He  could  not,  consistently  with  the  prin- 
ciples of  His  kingdom  and  the  moral  constitution  of 
the  man,  bind  him  with  ropes,  imprison  and  in  other 
ways  keep  him  from  departing,  but  He  could  "with- 
stand him;"  i.  e.,  throw  difficulties,  obstacles,  and 
warnings  in  his  way. 

And  so  an  angel  met  him  down  the  road  with  a 
flaming  sword,  and  waved  hirri  back. 

The  "perverse"  man,  as  the  Bible  calls  him,  went 
on.  There  are  many  like  him  to-day,  the  similarity 
being  not  only  in  wrongdoing,  but  in  being  divinely 
met  down  the  road  with  warnings  and  swords  of  flame. 
When  Christians  receive  strange  and  unexpected 
rebukes  from  human  lips,  and,  at  times,  in  letters, 
it  is  time  to  inquire  in  the  life,  and  see  if  all  is  well. 

Of  course,  a  child  of  God  may  expect  wrathful 
utterances  from  the  world,  and  sharp  lectures  and 
faultfindings  from  religious  oddities,  croaks,  and 
cranks.  But  if  the  remonstrance  and  warning  come 
from  really  good  people,  the  angel  side  of  the  world, 
there  is  cause  for  alarm.  In  the  ghastly  moral  falls 
that  now  and  then  take  place  among  Christians,  the 


THE  FALL   OF  BALAAM.  229 

facts,  if  known,  would  be  that  they  received  solemn 
appeals  and  warnings  from  people  of  God,  months 
and  years  before  the  life  and  character  crash  came. 

It  is  curious  to  note  that,  in  addition  to  the  oppo- 
sition of  the  angel,  God  added  pain  of  a  physical  char- 
acter to  Balaam.  The  ass  on  which  he  rode  became 
affrighted  at  the  supernatural  spectacle,  ran  into  the 
wall,  and  ground  the  foot  of  the  prophet  against  the 
stones.  Balaam  became  infuriated,  and  smote  the 
dumb  beast,  who  actually  saw  more  than  the  prophet 
did. 

The  physical  pain  always  comes  with  the  warnings 
of  God.  To  stray  out  of  the  order  of  God's  will  and 
providence  is  to  be  continually  getting  hurt.  Things 
go  wrong.  Accidents,  as  we  call  them,  happen;  all 
kinds  of  painful,  unexplainable  things  take  place. 

In  the  case  of  a  layman  who  began  to  depart  from 
God,  after  a  devout  life,  there  occurred,  one  after  an- 
other, such  physical  mishaps  and  narrow  escapes  of 
life  that  he  became  deeply  alarmed,  and  flew  back  to 
duty  and  God. 

Not  all  do  this,  but  become  filled  with  a  blind  rage 
against  the  very  things  and  beings  God  sends  to 
block  their  way  to  ruin,  and  go  to  striking  right  and 
left,  and  with  a  growing  fury  as  the  years  go  by,  In 
a  word,  they  begin  to  ripen  for  destruction. 

Not  only  poor  dumb  animals  feel  the  cruelty  of 


230  HEART  TALKS. 

these  maddened,  backslidden  lives,  but  innocent  mem- 
bers of  the  family.  Everybody  seems  to  them  to  be 
blocking  up  their  way,  hindering  them  in  their  pleas- 
ures, pursuits,  rights,  and  privileges;  so  down  comes 
the  cudgel  of  word,  look,  act,  and  life  itself,  on  bleed- 
ing, faithful  hearts.  Is  it  not  strange  that  all  can  see 
that  God  is  dealing  with  them  but  themselves?  In- 
ferior minds  and  natures  recognize  the  spotted  record 
and  doomed  life,  while  he,  the  wrong  and  wandering 
one,  frets  over  hindrances  that  have  been  sent  of  God, 
and  pushes  on  to  ruin. 

Farther  down  the  highway  Balaam  encountered 
the  angel  again. 

The  reader  will  notice  the  expression,  "farther 
down,"  which  we  use.  The  second  battle  did  not  take 
place  on  the  same  ground  of  the  first.  God  fell  back 
as  His  perverse  servant  pressed  on,  and  met  him  at 
a  remote  spot. 

The  idea  is,  that  while  the  Lord  keeps  up  the  con- 
test with  the  disobedient  Christian  for  a  while,  yet  the 
struggle  is  never  on  the  same  moral  place  or  plane. 
As  the  soul  pushes  past  God,  who  is  making  effort  to 
stop  and  save  it,  that  soul  is  compelled  to  become 
harder  and  worse  for  such  a  course.  So  the  next 
warning  and  withstanding  takes  place,  in  a  true  sense, 
farther  down  the  road.  And  the  third  battle  is  still 
farther  down  than  the  second,  the  man  persisting  in 


THE  FALL   OF  BALAAM.  23! 

evil,  God  continuing  to  fall  back  and  withstand  him 
again,  until  the  time  is  reached  when  the  Lord  steps 
aside,  and  allows  the  infatuated  and  determined  man 
to  go  on  to  his  destruction. 

The  disobedient  Christian  can  tell  that  he  is  far- 
ther down  the  road,  and  in  the  last  conflicts  with 
Heaven,  by  the  lessening  power  of  conscience,  and 
the  rarer,  fainter  utterance  of  the  voice  of  the  Spirit. 
The  man,  however,  becomes  accustomed  to  provi- 
dential hinderings,  and  looks  upon  them  daily  with 
less  concern,  and  finally  with  no  trouble  at  all. 

There  were  three  more  Divine  withstandings  of 
the  prophet  on  the  top  of  the  mountain,  and  each  one 
occurred  in  a  different  place.  God  did  His  best  to 
save  Balaam,  and  put  a  blessing  instead  of  a  curse  for 
His  people  into  his  unwilling  lips. 

The  man  said  some  fine  things  on  the  mountain 
standing  by  God's  altar.  It  was  the  spiritual  flaring 
up  of  the  human  candle  before  going  down  and  out 
in  the  socket.  He  was  ostensibly  in  the  service  of 
God;  but  the  drift  of  his  soul  toward  the  forbidden 
evil  had  become  now  like  the  rush  of  Niagara  just 
above  the  falls. 

Samson  and  David  went  down  under  the  power 
of  women;  Judas  and  Balaam  fell  through  love  of 
money.  The  former  class  of  transgressors  doubtless 
wonder  how  the  latter  class  could  so  care  for  bits  of 


232  HEART  TALKS. 

shining  metal.  In  like  manner  we  doubt  not  that 
the  metallites,  or  second  class,  marvel  at  the  weakness 
of  the  first  class,  as  they  succumb  to  female  arts 
and  blandishments. 

Nevertheless,  both  classes  fell,  and  a  fall  is  a  fall, 
whether  it  be  over  a  Bathsheba  or  a  bag  of  money. 
Men  are  going  to  hell  from  both  causes.  Samson, 
David,  Balaam,  and  Judas,  all  went  down  with  a  crash 
into  sin.  Where  can  be  the  comfort  to  any  one  in  a 
moral  fall  in  recalling  that  he  did  not  go  down  like 
his  neighbor,  or  with  the  sin  of  his  neighbor?  If  a 
half-dozen  men  have  fallen  into  a  deep  well,  it  matters 
not  a  particle  whether  they  tripped  over  a  rock  or 
slipped  on  a  piece  of  spongy  soil;  whether  one  was 
looking  at  a  star,  or  another  chasing  a  firefly;  the 
grievous  fact  is  that  all  are  in  the  well.  Think  of  a 
spirit  of  pride  and  boasting  springing  up  in  such  a 
miry  place  as  to  the  manner  in  which  each  one  got 
there !  The  whole  dispute  would  be  absurd  and  profit- 
less. So,  when  a  man  has  fallen  into  moral  ruin,  what 
need  to  boast  that  he  did  not  go  down  like  his  neigh- 
bor, or  with  the  sin  of  his  neighbor?  He  sinned,  that 
is  enough;  and  he  is  down,  and  that  is  more  than 
enough. 

Of  the  four  individuals  mentioned  above,  but  one 
seems  to  have  been  rescued,  and  that  one  was  David. 
The  Scripture  is  unmistakable  about  the  ruin  of  Judas 


THE  FALL   OF  BALAAM.  233 

and  Balaam.  They  were  wrecked  on  the  money  ques- 
tion. 

There  is  a  rapids  in  Niagara,  not  only  below  the 
falls,  but  one  above.  So  is  it  in  life.  Just  before  a 
man  takes  the  final  leap  into  sin  there  is  a  marvelously 
accelerated  movement  in  his  life  toward  moral  ruin 
that  is  plainly  observable  to  many,  and  that  corre- 
sponds to  the  Upper  Rapids. 

When  Balaam  left  the  mountain  in  the  last  work 
he  did  for  God,  he  was  in  the  Rapids.  God  evidently 
met  him  no  more,  but  stood  aside  and  let  the  man  leap 
to  his  destruction.  And  he  leaped,  or  was  carried 
over  the  Falls,  just  as  the  reader  prefers  to  regard  the 
matter.  The  fallen  prophet,  fully  determined  to  ob- 
tain the  pay  and  honors  of  King  Balak,  does  one  of 
the  most  diabolical  things  on  record  in  the  Bible. 
Knowing,  as  he  did,  that  the  awful  judgment  of  God 
would  come  upon  the  children  of  Israel  if  they  car- 
nally intermingled  with  the  nations  by  the  way,  Ba- 
laam in  some  manner,  according  to  the  Bible,  brought 
about  the  transgression  between  the  men  of  Israel  and 
the  women  of  Moab.  In  this  way  the  curse  which  he 
was  not  permitted  to  pronounce  from  the  mountain- 
top  was  brought  on  the  Israelites  by  their  own  act. 

The  man  was  now  out  of  the  Rapids  and  in  the 
Falls !  In  a  few  days  he  had  entered  the  Rapids  below 
the  Falls.  He  had,  in  a  word,  yielded  to  a  rushing 


234  HEART  TALKS. 

temptation,  shot  an  awful  downward  plunge  into  the 
vortex  of  sin,  and  soon  came  to  the  place  and  hour 
when  physical  destruction  was  added  to  moral  ruin, 
as  the  Lower  Rapids  in  Niagara  pound  to  pieces 
everything  that  is  borne  to  it  from  the  Falls. 

The  Bible  tells  us  that  a  great  battle  took  place 
as  the  result  of  what  had  gone  before,  in  which  con- 
flict many  were  slain,  and  among  the  killed  was  Ba- 
laam, the  unfaithful  prophet  of  God. 

May  God  have  mercy  on  any  one  of  His  servants 
who  has  become  careless  in  life,  and  commenced  open-- 
ing his  heart  to  questionable  thoughts,  desires,  and 
ambitions!  As  yet  he  is  only  floating  on  the  stream, 
and  almost  imperceptibly ;  but  he  has  left  the  place  of 
safety,  and  from  where  we  stand  we  can  see  the  arrowy 
rush  of  the  Upper  Rapids  of  an  increasing  evil  influ- 
ence, hear  the  dull  roar  of  the  Falls  of  the  sin  itself, 
and  see  in  the  still  remoter  distance  the  gray,  jagged 
rocks,  and  wild,  leaping  waves  of  the  Lower  Rapids, 
where  disaster  and  physical  death  are  certain  to  come. 
The  heart  involuntarily  cries  out  for  mercy  in  behalf 
of  the  drifting  soul  and  doomed  body  of  such  a  man. 
And  yet  what  escape  and  deliverance  can  be  expected 
for  one  who  in  steadfast  perversity  has  fought  his  way 
through  every  warning  and  withstanding  that  a  pa- 
tient, loving  God  could  devise  and  execute.  Still  we 
cry  out,  God  have  mercy! 


XXV. 

THE  MAN  NEAREST  TO  GOD. 

T  N  Second  Chronicles  we  read  that  a  great  multitude 
*  of  the  Ammonites  and  Moabites  had  gathered 
against  Israel.  The  situation  was  so  dark  and  hope- 
less from  human  view,  that  the  people  with  their  little 
ones  were  in  humble  supplication  before  the  Lord. 
The  king  himself  was  no  exception.  All  hearts  were 
anxious,  troubled,  and  looking  to  God. 

In  the  midst  of  this  protracted  waiting,  suddenly 
the  Spirit  of  God  fell  upon  a  man  in  the  congregation, 
whose  name  was  Jehaziel.  At  once  he  opened  his  lips 
and  uttered  the  most  comforting  and  strengthening 
words  to  the  Jews.  He  told  them  that  God  would 
deliver  them,  and  that  in  a  most  remarkable  way.  He 
bade  them  be  of  good  cheer,  that  they  only  needed 
to  stand  still,  and  they  would  see  the  salvation  of 
heaven. 

The  fulfillment  of  the  man's  words'  will  be  remem- 
bered by  the  reader.  So  great  was  the  victory  which 
God  wrought  for  His  people,  that  they  were  three 
days  gathering  up  the  spoil. 

From  the  circumstance  of  the  Spirit  of  God  fall- 
ing upon  Jehaziel  we  obtain  the  startling  and  thrilling 

235 


236  HEART  TALKS. 

truth  that  God  in  His  work  uses  the  man  nearest  to 
Him.  This  is  not  simply  a  gracious  fact,  but  a  most 
solemn  one,  and  one  calculated  to  stir  the  Christian 
heart  to  its  profoundest  depths.  As  a  truth,  it  is  not 
only  taught  in  the  Bible,  but  as  constantly  proved 
in  life. 

We  have  noticed  merchants  on  busy  days  in  their 
stores;  observed  managers  and  directors  of  work  in 
a  time  of  rush;  and  seen  old-time  masters  with  their 
slaves  on  sudden  calls  for  immediate  action;  and  in- 
variably we  have  marked  that  the  individual  nearest 
to  the  merchant,  overseer,  or  master  was  the  one  em- 
ployed to  do  a  work  or  commissioned  to  bear  a  mes- 
sage. We  frequently  saw  this,  but  failed  to  be  im- 
pressed with  its  deep  significance  when  applied  to 
spiritual  things,  until  we  brooded  over  the  case  of 
Jehaziel. 

What  we  see  men  doing,  the  Lord  does.  He  uses 
the  human  instrument  that  is  nearest  to  hand.  It  is 
a  principle  of  conduct  which  applies  in  both  the  busi- 
ness and  moral  world.  No  one  who  gives  a  thought 
to  the  matter  but  can  and  must  approve.  God  uses 
the  man  closest  to  Him.  This  is  the  great  truth  of 
the  passage!  From  it  we  draw  several  reflections. 

First,  the  mystery  is  explained  of  the  Divine  favor 
and  use  of  certain  men  in  the  Church  and  world. 

People  who  have  wondered  why  God  blesses  some 


THE  MAN  NEAREST  TO  GOD.  237 

persons  so  abundantly,  and  why  He  employs  them  so 
constantly,  need  marvel  no  longer  with  such  Scrip- 
ture before  them.  The  Divine  Hand  is  laid  on  the 
nearest  head.  The  Lord  speaks  to  the  man  closest 
to  Him. 

Of  course,  there  were  good  people  in  the  congre- 
gation of  Israel  that  day,  as  there  are  in  religious 
gatherings  to-day.  But  some  were  nearer  to  God 
than  others.  The  good  King  Jehoshaphat  was  closer 
than  the  people ;  but  Jehaziel  was  nearer  still  than  the 
king.  He  was  the  nearest,  and  so  on  him  the  Spirit 
of  God  fell. 

We  have  often  beheld  similar  scenes  in  Sabbath 
audiences  and  revival-meetings.  There  are  good  peo- 
ple in  the  congregation,  and  some  are  better,  and 
there  is  the  man  or  woman  who  is  best  or  nearest  to 
God.  On  that  soul  the  Holy  Ghost  is  certain  to  de- 
scend. It  is  as  fixed,  unchangeable,  and  faithful  a 
Divine  procedure  as  God  working  in  His  great  natu- 
ral laws.  Indeed,  it  is  a  law.  Whoever  stands  nearest 
to  God  will  be  most  blessed  and  honored  of  God. 
Nothing  else  can  happen  to  one  in  such  a  moral  po- 
sition. Wonderful  place  of  grace  and  glory!  Who 
would  not  occupy  it? 

For  sidelights  to  this  blessed  truth,  let  the  reader 
turn  to  the  description  of  the  Last  Supper,  and  ob- 
serve that  John  heard  the  Savior  say  things  which 


238  HEART  TALKS. 

escaped  Peter  and  the  other  disciples.  The  explana- 
tion was  that  he  was  nearest  to  Christ. 

Let  him  look  again  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Jor- 
dan, and  see  the  Dove  alighting  upon  Him  who  spent 
whole  nights  in  prayer,  and  who  said,  "My  meat  is  to 
do  the  will  of  Him  who  sent  me."  To  this  day  the 
Dove  comes  to  the  Lamb,  to  the  soul  most  like  Christ. 

Another  reflection  drawn  from  the  occurrence, 
which  befell  Jehaziel,  is  that  here  is  a  Divine  testimony 
to  human  faithfulness.  The  Spirit  of  God  only  falls 
upon  prepared  hearts. 

This  fact  utterly  demolishes  the  hope  of  spiritually 
lazy  people,  who  expect  to  be  blessed,  and  yet  fail  to 
put  themselves  in  the  heart,  mind,  and  life  position 
to  be  thus  honored  of  God.  They  wonder  why  the 
glow  they  see  in  other  faces  is  not  in  their  own,  and 
why  the  spirit  buoyancy,  inward  exultation,  liberated 
tongue,  and  unmistakable  unction  of  life  is  not  theirs. 
The  explanation  is  that  the  condition  of  praying,  life 
emptying,  believing,  and  waiting  has  not  been  met  by 
them.  They  have  been  spiritually  indolent,  have 
failed  to  plow,  harrow,  plant,  and  cultivate,  and  yet 
are  looking  for  a  waving  harvest  and  full  granaries. 

Nothing  is  said  in  the  passage  about  any  special 
devotion  of  time  and  energy  to  God  by  Jehaziel ;  but 
the  Bible  has  so  clearly  taught  this  to  be  the  indis- 
pensable condition  of  spiritual  manifestation  and  reve- 


THE  MAN  NEAREST  TO   GOD.  239 

lation,  that  to  state  God's  Spirit  fell  upon  the  man  is 
tantamount  to  saying  that  he  had  been  waiting  upon, 
and  living  close  to  God. 

The  flames  of  fire,  shining  countenances,  and  won- 
drous, rapturous  utterances  of  Pentecost,  were  pre- 
ceded by  ten  days  of  patient  supplication  to  God  in 
the  Upper  Room.  The  visions  of  Daniel  came;  but 
not  without  weeks  of  fasting  and  prayer  upon  his 
part  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Hiddekel. 

Some  affect  to  be  surprised  and  even  hurt  at  the 
sudden  outbursts  of  joy,  and  the  Divine  use  of  certain 
persons  in  religious  services.  Why  not  themselves? 
is  the  fretful  query  often  asked  inwardly,  when  not 
uttered  to  others.  The  answer  has  already  been 
given,  and  is  also  embraced  in  the  Bible  statement — 
the  man  who  prayeth  secretly  shall  be  rewarded 
openly.  The  private  devotion  is  the  explanation  of 
public  heavenly  honor.  The  closet  of  prayer  is  the 
place  where  the  crown  and  robe  are  obtained  which 
make  a  man  appear  as  a  spiritual  king  when  standing 
before  the  Church  and  world. 

A  young  preacher  rebuked  a  large  company  of 
gamblers  on  a  steamboat  with  such  holy  power  that 
it  not  only  awed  the  men,  but  led  the  rebuker  to  a 
great  national  honor.  The  secret  of  his  ascendency 
was  that  he  had  spent  a  couple  of  days  in  his  state- 
room in  tears  and  prayer  over  the  matter.  Any  one 


240  HEART  TALKS. 

could  have  had  a  kind  of  brute  courage  sufficient  to 
have  condemned  the  transgressors,  and  still  have  ac- 
complished nothing.  This  kind  of  reproof  is  cheap, 
and  obtained  at  little  cost ;  but  few  are  willing  to  pay 
the  price  of  two  days'  humiliation  and  prayer  to  secure 
the  heavenly  backing  and  the  Divine  favor  and  power 
this  man  possessed. 

A  prominent  minister  of  the  gospel  ridiculed  the 
doctrine  of  a  second  work  of  grace  in  a  large  con- 
course of  people.  There  were  many  good  persons 
present  who  disapproved  his  utterances,  but  could  not 
or  did  not  speak  in  reply.  The  Spirit  fell  that  morn- 
ing upon  a  young  preacher  to  answer  the  denier  of 
sanctification  by  faith  in  the  blood  of  Christ.  For 
thirty  minutes  by  the  clock  this  suddenly  appointed 
defender  of  a  great  Bible  truth  fairly  flamed  and 
glowed  in  his  presentation  of  the  doctrine  and  procla- 
mation of  the  experience,  while  love  to  man  and  grati- 
tude to  God  was  heard  in  every  utterance,  and  tears 
of  joy  welled  into  his  eyes  and  fell  fast  upon  his  cheeks. 
To  many  the  thought  doubtless  came,  that  this  man 
was  a  chosen  instrument  to  protect  the  ark,  and  so 
settled  back  in  the  old  condition  of  spiritual  laziness. 
The  real  explanation  was  that  the  young  preacher  had 
spent  several  days  in  special  waiting  upon  God.  He, 
in  other  words,  happened  that  morning  to  be  nearest 


THE  MAN  NEAREST  TO   GOD.  241 

the  Lord,  and  so  the  Divine  Hand  was  laid  upon  him, 
with  the  command,  "Speak  for  Me." 

Nothing  in  nature  occurs  in  a  haphazard  way. 
Law  regulates  everything.  A  Divine  Hand  guides 
and  controls  according  to  perfect  wisdom,  truth,  and 
faithfulness.  In  like  manner  in  the  kingdom  of  grace 
there  is  nothing  like  moral  accidents.  The  same  God 
presides  in  both  realms.  Law  is  in  both  worlds. 

We  talk  about  the  lightning  striking  at  random. 
It  is  not  so :  the  electric  fluid  falls  on  the  object  nearest 
to  it,  and  most  favorable  for  its  reception.  So  does 
the  heavenly  lightning.  The  Spirit  comes  upon  peo- 
ple who  are  prepared  for  Him. 

A  brief  final  reflection  we  draw  is,  that  none  of  us 
can  afford  to  miss  standing  in  the  place  nearest  to 
God.  We  can  without  much  hurt  be  cast  out  of  social 
circles,  synagogues,  and  places  of  earthly  honor;  we 
can  be  displaced  from  favored  positions  near  the  rich 
and  great;  but  we  can  not,  without  irreparable  injury 
to  ourselves  both  now  and  forever,  live  at  a  distance 
from  God.  We  must  for  our  present  and  future  high- 
est good  stand  close  to  the  Heavenly  King,  where  His 
hand  can  touch  us,  and  His  voice  reach  us  at  any  and 
at  all  times. 

It  is  this  spot  where  is  ever  to  be  found  the  flam- 
ing speech,  transfigured  countenance,  unctuous  life, 
16 


242  HEART  TALKS. 

and  beautiful  influence,  more  powerful  at  times  than 
words  and  deeds  themselves. 

Here  John  lived,  and  talked  about  opening  heav- 
ens, and  said,  "Hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  to  the 
Churches."  Here  Paul  abided,  and  spoke  about  not 
knowing  whether  he  was  in  the  body  or  out  of  it. 
Here  Jehaziel  must  have  dwelt.  And  here  may  we  all 
dwell.  There  is  room  for  us  all.  But  let  us  remem- 
ber that  it  is  not  the  man  who  is  near  to  God  who  is 
most  honored,  but  the  man  nearest  to  God. 


XXVI. 
WHY  WEEPEST  THOU? 

THE  caption  of  this  chapter  was  the  first  utterance 
of  Christ  after  His  resurrection.  Of  all  things 
which  he  might  have  said,  perhaps  no  more  beautiful, 
blessed,  needful,  and  significant  speech  could  have 
been  made  by  Him  to  His  sorrowing  disciples,  and, 
beyond  them,  to  the  struggling,  battling  Church  in 
all  ages,  and  even  to  the  sinful  world  itself.  Since 
Christ  died  and  rose  again,  it  may  well  be  asked,  why 
should  any  one  weep? 

The  question  comes  to  the  penitent,  Why  weep- 
est  thou? 

Has  not  Christ  died  and  paid  the  debt  that  you 
owe  to  an  offended  God  and  violated  law?  If 
He  has,  why  not  burst  forth  into  rejoicing  and 
singing,  with  the  heaven-declared  statement  that 
Jesus  has  suffered  for  all,  that  He  died  for  the  un- 
godly, that  no  one  might  perish,  but  all  have  eternal 
life? 

Every  community  and  Church  is  familiar  with  a 
character  who  might  well  be  called  "the  chronic 
mourner."  These  persons  come  to  the  altar  at  every 

meeting  and  at  every  call.     They  will  not  be  com- 

243 


244  HEART  TALKS, 

forted,  seem  unable  to  get  relief,  and  certainly  fail 
to  receive  the  assurance  they  wish  to  possess. 

In  a  certain  city,  lately,  I  was  speaking  to  one  of 
this  class.  She  was  a  woman  of  seventy  years  of  age. 
When  I  tried  to  bring  her  help  and  comfort,  she  con- 
templated me  silently  for  a  few  moments,  and  said 
with  a  melodramatic  air,  "My  brother,  I  have  been 
a  mourner  for  fifty-two  years." 

If  she  intended  to  astonish  me,  she  succeeded  per- 
fectly. For  a  full  minute  I  said  nothing,  as  I  looked 
upon  this  living  monument  of  unbelief,  this  individual 
who  had  persisted  in  grieving  over  her  sins  for  a  half- 
century,  as  though  Christ  had  never  died  and  paid 
the  full  obligation  she  owed  to  Heaven  in  regard  to 
the  transgressions  of  the  past.  I  even  detected  an 
accent  of  pride  in  the  statement  that  she  was  a 
mourner  of  such  long  standing.  She  was  no  ordinary 
penitent.  She  had  made  a  science  out  of  spiritual 
grieving.  She  had  been  so  satisfied  with  the  words 
that  they  were  blessed  who  mourned,  that  she  re- 
fused to  come  to  the  other  part  of  the  sentence,  "they 
shall  be  comforted."  She  knew  nothing  of  that.  She 
was  a  mourner,  called  herself  one,  when  in  the  sight 
of  God  'she  was  an  unbeliever. 

Is  it  not  strange  that  people  who  will  not  look  to 
Christ  for  pardon  after  He  died  for  all  sins,  can  not  be 
made  to  see  that  in  this  fixed  mental  attitude  they 


WHY  WEEPEST  THOU?  245 

make  Christ  to  die  in  vain,  utterly  contradict  God's 
own  Word,  and  discourage  hundreds  who  would 
otherwise  come  to  Christ  and  be  delivered  and 
blessed? 

Again,  the  words  apply  to  those  who  grieve  over 
the  presence  of  inbred  sin. 

While  we  do  not  have  to  repent  over  the  existence 
of  this  principle,  we  can  lament  the  fact  of  its  being  in 
us,  and  should  go  promptly  to  Christ  for  its  destruc- 
tion and  removal. 

After  its  discovery,  to  sit  down  and  sorrow  over 
the  dark  inheritance  and  fail  to  come  to  Christ  with  it, 
is  to  repeat  the  folly  of  the  ordinary  transgressor  who 
will  not  let  the  Son  of  God  save  him. 

To  those  of  us  who  have  gone  within  the  veil,  and 
exercised  the  second  distinct  faith  for  heart-cleansing 
or  the  sanctification  of  the  soul,  the  days  and  weeks 
of  protracted  mourning  and  seeking  by  some,  without 
the  obtainment  of  the  blessing  is  simply  astounding. 
The  blood  has  been  shed  outside  the  gate  to  sanctify 
the  people;  why  weepest  thou?  Let  us  go  forth  at 
once  to  Him  without  the  camp,  bearing  His  reproach, 
and  obtain  the  unspeakable  grace. 

We  once  saw  a  lady  receive  the  blessing  after  a 
most  faithful  seeking  for  it  for  a  few  hours.  She  had 
to  leave  the  meeting  that  night  at  ten  o'clock  on  the 
cars  in  company  with  a  lady  friend.  She  was  fairly 


246  HEART  TALKS. 

electrified  with  her  new  possession,  and  the  way  into 
the  Holiest  being  all  plain  to  her,  she  bent  over  her 
friend  who  was  at  the  altar,  and  who  was  weeping  and 
grieving  without  securing  what  she  desired,  and  ex- 
claimed, while  laughing  and  crying  over  her  and  clap- 
ping her  on  the  shoulders,  "Jennie,  darling,  make 
haste  and  get  the  blessing;  the  train  will  be  here  in 
fifteen  minutes." 

Quite  a  number  around  the  altar  smiled  at  the 
speech,  but  others  saw  deeper  into  the  words,  and  to 
them  it  was  a  paraphrase  of  what  Christ  had  long  ago 
uttered,  "Why  weepest  thou?" 

When  Christians  refuse  to  thus  cast  themselves  on 
the  atoning  sacrifice,  it  can  readily  be  seen  what  a 
paralysis  they  occasion  to  the  faith  of  others  who  are 
not  spiritually  strong  to  begin  with,  or  are  less  exalted 
in  social  and  ecclesiastical  planes.  So  we  have  seen 
the  slowness  of  a  preacher  in  obtaining  sanctification 
throw  the  entire  Church  back.  Their  eyes  were  on 
him  as  a  kind  of  example,  and  as  he  did  not  sweep  into 
the  Holiest,  they  reasoned  very  naturally  that  there 
would  be  no  need  for  them  to  try,  and  that  there  was 
no  hope  or  prospect  for  them.  O !  that  all  seekers 
in  pulpit  and  pew  would  look  to  Calvary,  and  behold 
the  blood  which  cleanseth  from  all  sin !  O !  that  the 
voice  of  Christ  could  be  heard  by  these  sad,  discour- 


WHY  DEEPEST  THOU*  247 

aged  followers  of  His,  whose  highest  conception  of 
the  Son  of  God  in  redemption  is  the  suppression  of 
the  carnal  mind,  the  keeping  of  the  Old  Man  in  a  kind 
of  subjection ! 

"Why  weepest  thou?"  Is  Christ  not  able  to  do  ex- 
ceeding abundantly  for  you  above  all  that  you  can  ask 
or  think?  Did  he  not  say,  "All  things  are  possible  to 
him  that  believeth,"  and  "According  to  your  faith  so 
shall  it  be  unto  you?" 

Still  again  the  words  apply  to  the  bereaved. 

How  perfectly  helpless  all  of  us  have  been  made 
to  feel  in  a  place  and  at  an  hour  when  Death  has  en- 
tered and  taken  away  the  light  of  the  home !  At  such 
a  time  we  feel  the  vanity  of  human  consolation,  the 
nothingness  of  human  strength. 

Once  as  a  pastor  we  stood  in  the  midst  of  a  fam- 
ily who  were  grouped  around  the  deathbed  of  a 
lovely  daughter  just  grown,  and  now  breathing  her 
last.  We  shall  never  forget  the  affecting  silence  of 
those  moments.  No  one  spoke,  but  tears  fell  swiftly 
down  every  face.  Each  tired,  heavy  sigh  from  the 
pillow  was  feared  to  be  the  last  breath,  and  when 
finally  the  physician,  whose  eyes  were  steadily  fixed 
on  the  dying  girl,  looked  up  with  a  sad  face  and  said 
quietly,  "It  is  all  over,"  I  immediately  called  all  to 
their  knees  around  the  bed,  and  in  the  midst  of  chok- 


248  HEART  TALKS. 

ing  sobs,  commended  the  grief-stricken  family  to 
Him  who  once  died  Himself  and  rose  again,  and  who 
said  that  at  His  voice  all  that  are  in  their  graves  shall 
come  forth  into  everlasting  life. 

Mary  in  tears  at  the  Savior's  tomb  is  a  picture 
which  appeals  to  every  heart.  Here  was  an  attitude, 
a  burden,  a  sorrow  known  to  us  all.  Then  comes  the 
footfall  of  Christ.  His  eye  rests  on  the  drooping  fig- 
ure, and  His  loving  voice  falls  upon  her  ear — "Wo- 
man, why  weepest  thou?" 

How  quickly  the  tearstained  face  was  raised ;  how 
it  flashed  and  glowed  with  joy,  we  all  can  easily 
imagine,  when  in  another  moment,  with  an  additional 
word  from  His  lips,  she  saw  it  was  Jesus.  He  had 
broken  the  bands  of  Death.  The  grave  could  not 
hold  Him.  He  had  come  back  to  tell  the  grieving 
world  of  His  victory,  and  that  as  He  had  raised  Him- 
self from  the  tomb,  even  so  He  would  resurrect  all 
who  believe  on  Him. 

Since  that  marvelous  and  blessed  return,  and  since 
the  words,  "I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life,"  how 
can  there  be  inconsolable  sorrow  at  the  side  of  the 
deathbed,  and  by  the  margin  of  the  grave? 

"Thy  brother  shall  rise  again,"  said  the  Savior 
to  the  sisters  of  Bethany.  And  we  have  only  to 
change  the  word  brother  to  father,  mother,  husband, 
wife,  sister,  son,  and  daughter,  to  make  them  sound 


WHY  WEEPEST  THOU?  249 

like  sweetest  music  to  every  grieving,  bereaved  heart 
around  the  world.  No  wonder  He  said,  "Why  weep- 
est  thou?" 

Once  more,  the  words  apply  to  the  heart  and  life 
which  has  been  wounded  and  injured  by  human 
tongues  and  influence. 

Not  only  opposition  and  persecution  have  come, 
but  lower,  sadder  still,  misrepresentation,  detraction, 
and  slander  are  hurled  like  javelins  and  boomerangs 
at  the  servant  of  God.  No  office  or  position,  and 
no  religious  experience  or  life  of  usefulness,  is  suffi- 
cient to  protect  one  here. 

The  added  pain  is  that  oftentimes  the  blow  is 
struck,  not  by  a  worldly  hand,  but  by  one  who  went 
with  you  to  the  house  of  God  in  company.  We  have 
seen  some  gentle  Christian  natures  sink,  completely 
crushed,  under  this  peculiar  form  of  malevolence. 

Still  we  say,  "Why  weepest  thou?"  Why  should 
we  grieve  hopelessly  as  though  some  strange  thing 
had  happened?  Was  not  Christ  slandered?  Were 
not  the  disciples  vilified?  Was  not  Wesley  accused 
of  having  broken  all  the  commandments?  And  are 
we  to  expect  better  treatment  than  they  received? 

Again,  has  not  Christ  promised  deliverance  to  us 
from  this  and  every  other  evil?  Does  not  the  Bible 
say  that  all  things  work  together  for  good  to  them 
that  love  God?  Then,  "Why  weepest  thou?" 


250  HEART  TALKS. 

Paul  said,  "None  of  these  things  move  me ;"  and 
we  should  say  the  same,  and  go  right  on  in  God's 
service. 

As  for  general  misrepresentation,  there  are  few 
revival-meetings  in  which  every  true  evangelist  does 
not  see  the  funeral  and  burial  of  various  kinds  of  false 
reports.  We  have  nothing  to  do  but  discharge  our 
duty,  and  "wait  on  the  Lord,"  and  the  Bible  says 
He  will  bring  it  to  pass.  He  will  deliver  us  from  all 
our  enemies,  and  cause  us  to  inherit  the  land. 

How  many  Christians  worry  needlessly  in  regard 
to  these  things!  Some  workers  at  times  feel  half- 
paralyzed,  heartsick,  and  tempted  to  give  up  their 
labor  for  Christ  and  souls.  My  advice  to  them  is  to 
hold  on,  hold  in,  hold  up,  and  hold  out. 

If  a  lie  is  told  upon  you,  make  no  answer,  but  wait 
on  the  Lord,  be  of  good  courage,  and  "weep  not."  If 
a  misrepresentation  is  circulated  about  your  work, 
methods,  family,  or  Christian  life,  and  a  thick  door 
seems  to  be  shut  and  locked  in  your  face,  do  not  think 
of  opening  it  yourself.  Do  not  lose  time  and  energy 
in  trying  to  prize  it  off  its  hinges  or  blowing  it  up 
with  dynamite.  Wait  on  the  Lord,  weep  not,  be 
patient,  and  suddenly  it  will  open — and  God  will  do 
the  opening. 

Your  coat  may  be  bespattered  with  the  mud  of 
human  hate,  detraction,  or  misconception.  Mr.  Spur- 


WHY  WEEPEST  THOU?  251 

geon  says,  do  not  wipe  it  off  at  once,  for  that  will 
simply  smear  it  and  make  matters  worse.  Be  patient, 
he  said,  and  let  it  dry;  by  and  by  it  will  drop  off  of 
itself. 

He  will  take  care  of  the  mud-flinger,  the  mud- 
flinging,  the  mud,  and  especially  the  coat  and  the  man 
flung  at.  He,  with  His  own  touch,  will  brush  off  the 
mire,  and  show  that  it  did  not  come  from  a  fall  of 
the  man,  but  was  cast  upon  him  by  the  hand  of  an 
enemy.  "Wait,"  I  say,  "on  the  L,ord."  In  a  word, 
"Why  weepest  thou?" 


XXVII. 
HOLY  JOY. 

MUCH  has  been  said  and  written  against  what 
is  called  emotional  or  demonstrative  religion. 
A  great  deal  of  sage  advice  and  warning  is  given  to 
people  who  are  filled  with  the  Spirit  in  such  expres- 
sions as  "Talking  one's  self  empty,"  "Living  one's 
religion,"  "Best  proof  of  being  well  is  walking 
around/'  and  "Thunder  kills  nobody." 

We  are  not  in  this  chapter  championing  what 
has  been  scornfully  dubbed  "mere  noise,"  although 
we  cheerfully  confess  that  we  have  not  the  slightest 
objection  to  the  commotion  and  stir  made  by  people 
who  are  genuinely  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  We, 
in  fact,  like  it.  We  have  been  heard  and  seen  in  these 
lines  ourselves  repeatedly  by  friend  and  foe;  our 
comfort,  meanwhile,  being  that,  according  to  the 
second  chapter  of  Acts,  there  was  anything  but  a 
quiet  time  on  the  morning  of  Pentecost  with  the  dis- 
ciples ;  and  John  is  our  authority  for  saying  that  there 
was  silence  in  heaven  only  for  the  space  of  a  half- 
hour  ;  after  that,  he  heard  the  noise  of  a  great  multi- 
tude shouting  and  praising  God,  and  it  sounded  like 
the  voice  of  mighty  thunders  and  the  roar  of  many 

waters. 

252 


HOLY  JOY.  253 

And  yet,  with  all  this,  we  are  not  contending 
for  noise  and  what  is  called  "fuss."  We  have  listened 
to  some  which  we  wished  that  we  had  not  heard. 
And  yet  the  Church  has  not  suffered  as  much  in  this 
way  as  it  has  with  a  graveyard  quiet  and  deadness. 

We  are  speaking  in  this  connection  of  an  inward 
condition  and  life,  far  back  from  the  lips,  in  the  heart, 
and  that  expresses  itself  in  more  ways  than  one ;  some- 
times, indeed,  with  words;  but  sometimes  being 
voiceless,  but  felt  always  as  a  penetrating,  melting 
influence  as  powerful  as  any  word  or  deed. 

It  is  a  peculiar  joy  we  are  writing  about.  Not 
the  ecstasy  of  one  of  those  many  refreshings,  anoint- 
ings, and  comfortings  that  come  to  the  child  of  God, 
and  as  certainly  leak  out  in  a  few  minutes  or  hours. 
Nor  is  it  the  result  of  regeneration,  but  of  the  bap- 
tism with  the  Holy  Ghost.  It  is  not  the  gladness 
of  the  New  Birth,  but  that  strange  rapture  which 
comes  from  spiritual  crucifixion  and  death. 

There  is  a  Divine  work  in  the  soul  which  intro- 
duces the  Christian  into  the  realm  of  joy  as  certainly 
as  justification  and  regeneration  brought  him  into 
the  spiritual  province  of  peace.  "Being  justified  by 
faith,  we  have  peace  with  God  through  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  By  whom,  also,  we  have  access  by  faith 
into  this  grace,  wherein  we  stand  and  rejoice." 

He  who  will  faithfully  regard  the  spiritual  multi- 


254  HEART  TALKS. 

plicands  and  multipliers  of  the  Upper  Room,  and  the 
ten  days  of  faithful  waiting  and  importunate  praying, 
will  beyond  every  shadow  of  doubt  obtain  the  product 
of  a  full,  steadfast,  delicious,  satisfying  joy  to  abide  in 
the  soul. 

Not  all  have  it ;  for  not  all  are  true  to  God's  arith- 
metic. There  is  trifling  either  with  the  multiplier  or 
the  multiplicand  of  consecration  and  faith.  The  full- 
ness of  waiting  is  not  observed,  the  fervor  and  force 
of  prayer  is  neglected;  and  so  they  "come  short,"  as 
the  apostle  says,  of  the  great  blessing.  The  cold  face, 
lackluster  eye,  hard  facial  lines,  and  lack  of  spiritual 
spring  and  buoyancy,  plainly  indicate  the  failure  to 
the  observant,  fire-baptized  disciple.  For  some  reason 
best  known  to  themselves  and  God,  they  have  not 
obtained  that  blessed  result  called  the  Secret  of  the 
Lord,  and  the  Mystery  of  the  Gospel.  They  can 
grasp  the  idea  of  peace  and  occasional  overflowings 
of  spiritual  gladness ;  but  the  fact  of  a  constant,  abid- 
ing, upspringing  joy  in  the  soul  is  beyond  their  com- 
prehension. 

The  holy  joy  we  speak  of  arises  from  a  sense  of 
conscious  cleanness,  sweet  submissiveness  to  God's 
will,  and  the  perpetual  presence  of  Christ  in  the  soul. 
With  this  is  felt  the  nestling  of  a  perfect  love  in  the 
heart  and  the  blessed  throbbings  of  spiritual  power. 


HOLY  JOY.  255 

Who  wonders,  then,  at  the  presence  of  a  perennial 
gladness  and  sunshininess  in  such  a  heart?  The  mar- 
vel would  be  if,  after  such  a  work,  there  would  be  no 
such  resultant  condition. 

The  outward  manifestation  of  this  inner  joy  is 
unmistakable.  It  may  differ  somewhat,  according  to 
circumstances  and  temperament;  but  with  all  that, 
there  are  signs  of  this  deeper  salvation  in  those  who 
possess  it  that  are  not  to  be  beheld  in  the  regenerated 
man,  no  matter  how  true  and  faithful  he  may  be. 

One  mark  is  a  peculiar  brightness  of  the  face. 
Another  is  a  smiling  expression.  A  third  is  a  restful 
look  about  the  eyes,  brow,  lips,  and,  indeed,  all  the 
lines  of  the  face.  A  fourth  sign  is  recognized  in  the 
voice,  in  an  indescribable  ring  and  accent  which  comes 
from  the  heart  and  goes  to  the  heart.  A  fifth  is  a 
certain  instinctive  and  instantaneous  responsiveness 
of  the  soul  to  all  that  is  read  and  preached  from  God's 
Word  on  this  hidden  life.  A  sixth  is  a  spring  and 
buoyancy  of  the  spirit  which  makes  it  difficult  at 
times  to  refrain  from  what  might  be  called  physical 
demonstrativeness.  A  seventh  is  the  language  of 
praise  that  becomes  as  natural  as  the  breathing  of  a 
healthy  lung.  Just  as  the  sin-burdened  heart  has 
words  of  complaint,  fault-finding,  gloom,  and  despair, 
so  the  blood-washed  and  fire-baptized  soul  has  a  Ian- 


256  HEART  TALKS. 

guage  that  describes  and  declares  its  own  restfulness, 
contentedness,  gladness,  and  blessedness  in  a  con- 
stantly indwelling  Christ. 

If  we  single  out  any  one  of  the  above  marks  just 
mentioned,  and  study  their  effect  on  the  world  around 
us,  we  will  have  at  once  furnished  the  most  urgent 
motives  as  Christians  for  seeking  to  enter  upon  such 
a  spiritual  life. 

Think  of  the  power  of  a  restful  face  as  it  is  seen 
daily  unchanged  in  the  midst  of  the  varying  circum- 
stances of  life ! 

Such  a  sweet,  glad  countenance,  that  of  an  elderly 
woman,  who  had  troubles  and  sorrows  enough  to  have 
crushed  a  giant,  created  deep  convictions  in  all  who 
beheld  her.  The  patient,  kindly  smile  she  turned  on 
her  home-circle,  friends,  and  acquaintances,  in  spite 
of  her  life-burdens,  was  a  call  in  itself  to  high  regions 
of  Christian  living  that  reached  a  loftier  note  to  the 
spiritual  ear  than  the  trumpet-blast  which  sounds 
loud  and  clear  from  Mt.  Sinai. 

As  for  the  language  of  praise  so  familiar  to  those 
who  are  deeply  and  genuinely  sanctified,  the  moral 
effect  is  even  more  powerful.  It  bubbles  up  from  a 
filled  and  overflowing  heart.  Language  is  felt  to  be 
a  relief.  The  lip  and  tongue  are  like  channels  convey- 
ing away  some  of  the  fullness  of  the  abundantly  satis- 
fied soul.  Oftentimes  the  quietly  uttered  "Praise  the 


HOLY  JOY.  257 

Lord,"  "Hallelujah,"  "Glory,"  "Bless  the  Lord,"  is 
spoken  in  perfect  unconsciousness  of  human  auditors. 
Men  hear  the  words  with  wonder.  Various  may  be 
the  opinions  of  the  listeners ;  but  there  is  conviction  in 
the  expressions  for  them  all. 

So  Paul  and  Silas  praised  God  in  the  dungeon, 
and  it  brought  about  a  revival.  No  astonishment 
would  have  been  felt  by  the  prisoners  in  the  outer 
prison  over  the  language  of  complaint  and  lamenta- 
tion. They  were  accustomed  to  that.  But  when  two 
men  in  the  inner  prison,  all  bloody  with  a  dreadful 
scourging,  and  with  feet  stuck  in  the  stocks,  sang 
and  praised  God  at  midnight,  so  that  Nature  itself 
bore  witness  to  the  moral  grandeur  of  the  occurrence, 
both  jailer  and  prisoners  alike  were  brought  down 
in  an  awful  fear  and  bitter  repentance  before  God. 

The  rejoicing  and  praises  of  the  martyrs  as  they 
were  crucified,  torn  to  pieces  by  wild  animals,  or 
slowly  burned  to  death  at  the  stake,  did  more  to 
spread  Christianity  than  all  the  eloquent  sermons  ever 
preached.  A  singing,  shouting,  praising  Christian 
sank  finally  into  a  heap  of  ashes;  but  thousands  of 
people  returned  home  from  the  awful  spectacle  beat- 
ing their  breasts  and  convicted  to  their  hearts.  Out 
of  this  number  many  would  turn  to  Christ  and  be 
saved.  That  voice  of  praise  and  rejoicing  going  up 

from  the  curling  smoke  and  crackling  flames  was  a 
17 


258  HEART  TALKS. 

divine  argument,  a  heavenly  proof,  a  voice  from  the 
sky  itself  that  could  not  be  answered,  doubted,  or 
gainsaid.  And  so  the  blood  of  the  martyrs  became 
the  seed  of  the  Church. 

We  knew  a  preacher  who  was  hurled  from  a  large 
church  and  handsome  salary  for  preaching  sanctifi- 
cation  as  a  direct,  instantaneous  work  of  Christ  in 
the  soul  of  the  believer.  Instead  of  complaining,  he 
went  to  the  man  who  had  cast  him  out,  and  with  a 
joy  that  he  could  not  keep  out  of  face  or  voice  said, 
"I  expect  to  do  the  best  work  of  my  life  this  year." 
The  happy  look  and  joyful  spirit  and  speech  of  the 
victim,  without  any  intention  upon  his  part,  troubled 
the  man  he  spoke  to  far  more  than  a  volume  of  re- 
proaches and  complaints.  In  fact,  he  talked  about 
it  for  months,  and  said  he  could  not  forget  it,  or  get 
over  it. 

"Again,  if  the  joy  should  declare  itself  in  the  action 
of  the  body,  there  is  peculiar  convicting  power  even 
in  that  manifestation. 

We  would  not  indorse  all  the  bodily  exercise  we 
have  seen.  Some  "profiteth  little,"  and  some  is  over- 
done, and  does  harm  rather  than  good.  But  there 
have  been  physical  manifestations  of  the  inner  joy, 
both  in  pulpit  and  pew,  upon  which  the  Holy  Ghost, 
who  had  already  inspired  the  movement,  now  fell 
again  with  approving  power. 


HOLY  JOY.  259 

The  sight  of  David  leaping  before  the  ark  seemed 
to  have  aroused  but  one  harsh  critic,  and  that  was 
Michal,  the  wife  of  the  rejoicing  man.  But  it  must 
be  remembered  that  she  was  some  distance  off,  and 
was  looking  through  a  window,  while  David  was 
close  to  the  ark.  He  was  coming  up  the  road  with 
the  Holy  Oracles,  and  in  good  religious  company. 
A  great  deal  depends  upon  being  in  the  procession. 

Sometimes  cool-blooded  Christians  in  the  audi- 
ence have  wondered  at  something  they  beheld  in  the 
demonstrative  way  in  the  pulpit.  They  failed  to  see 
how  it  could  have  been  done.  The  explanation  is  that 
they  were  looking  through  the  window,  and  labored 
under  the  additional  disadvantage  of  spiritual  dis- 
tance. The  man  in  the  pulpit  saw  a  glory  they  could 
not  see,  and  heard  the  rolling  of  the  wheels  which  is 
to  bring  up  the  ark  to  Jerusalem. 

A  preacher  was  watching  another  at  a  camp-meet- 
ing. He  studied  his  pulpit  movements  closely.  He 
saw  him  give  a  leap  at  a  climactic  point  in  the  dis- 
course. The  solemn  comment  of  the  observer  was, 
"that  it  had  cost  the  speaker  a  great  deal  to  be  able 
to  do  what  he  had  done  that  day."  The  man's  eyes 
filled  when  he  heard  the  true  discriminating  words. 
He,  above  all  men,  knew  for  himself  "that  with  a  great 
price  he  had  obtained  this  freedom."  One  other  thing 
he  knew,  and  that  was  that  he  never  let  the  great 


260  HEART  TALKS. 

indwelling  joy  overflow  in  an  irresistible  manner  by 
way  of  the  body  rather  than  the  tongue;  but  the 
Holy  Ghost  used  it  as  an  arrow  to  pierce  men  and 
women  with  conviction.  It  is  true  that  the  scoffer 
might  be  present ;  but  so  they  were  at  Pentecost ;  yet 
while  some  laughed  and  doubted  that  day,  many  beat 
their  breasts,  and  said,  "What  must  we  do?" 

Finally  this  joy  is  our  strength.  The  Bible  says 
so:  "The  joy  of  the  Lord  is  your  strength." 

More  and  more  the  writer  is  convinced  that  it 
is  not  human  eloquence,  logic,  or  wisdom  that  is  to 
win  the  day;  that  it  is  not  ecclesiastical  pomp,  cere- 
mony, or  power  which  will  vanquish  the  enemies  of 
God;  that  it  is  not  scholarship,  culture,  position, 
reputation,  influence,  high  places,  and  offices  that  con- 
stitute the  strength  of  the  Church.  We  will  never 
conquer  with  these  things  and  by  these  methods.  Our 
strength  is  the  joy  of  the  Lord ;  our  invincibility  will 
be  found  in  being  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Men  and  women  drunk  on  the  wine  of  the  King- 
dom, intoxicated  with  the  love  of  God,  and  whose 
faces  are  shining  with  a  rapture  not  born  of  earth,  but 
sent  down  from  heaven,  will  be  not  only  a  spectacle 
but  an  actual  spiritual  force,  under  which  the  people 
will  be  compelled  to  go  down  before  God.  It  did  so 
at  Pentecost,  has  done  so  often  since,  and  will  do  so 
again  to  the  end  of  time. 


HOLY  JOY.  261 

It  rests  with  the  Church  to  say  how  long  the  na- 
tions shall  stay  away  from  Christ,  and  the  world  lie  in 
wickedness. 

The  victory  will  never  come  with  the  use  of  carnal 
weapons,  or  by  legislation,  or  by  righting  symptoms, 
or  by  all  the  proprieties,  moralities,  and  orthodoxies 
of  the  Church  and  Christian  life.  The  devil  does  not 
care  how  proper  and  orthodox  we  are,  provided  we 
do  not  get  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  the  triumph  will 
never  be  obtained  by  quietness,  peacefulness,  and 
peaceableness.  It  will  never  be  brought  to  pass  by 
the  forces  which  lie  in  justification  and  regeneration, 
and  the  faithful,  excellent  lives  of  good  people. 

The  Church  will  have  to  get  drunk  on  joy.  There 
must  be  an  intoxication  of  spirit,  as  the  body  is  with 
wine.  There  must  be  a  bubbling  gladness  in  the 
heart;  an  overflowing  of  a  sweet,  holy  rapture,  that 
can  not  be  restrained,  but  will  rush  into  every  open 
channel  of  privilege,  opportunity,  and  duty,  and  with 
sunlit  face,  shining  eyes,  liberated  tongues,  praising 
lips,  and  flying  bodies  carry  the  food,  light,  comfort, 
and  treasures  of  the  gospel  to  the  starving,  benighted, 
broken-hearted,  and  bankrupted  nations  of  the 
earth. 

Who  is  it  that  sneers  at  an  emotional,  demonstra- 
tive religion,  when,  according  to  the  Bible,  two-thirds 
of  it  is  feeling?  Look  and  see — "The  kingdom  of 


262  HEART  TALKS. 

heaven  is  righteousness,  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy 
Ghost." 

Lately  a  convention  of  preachers  was  called  in 
Texas  to  ask  one  another  what  was  the  matter  with 
the  Church,  and  why  there  is  such  a  dearth  of  revivals. 
Our  reply  would  have  been,  let  the  Church  seek  for 
the  baptism  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  be  fired  and  filled 
with  this  holy  joy,  and  salvation  will  roll  over  the  land 
like  a  deluge. 

The  Lord's  command  to  his  people  on  the  eve  of 
a  great  battle  was  not  to  take  sword  or  spear,  but 
to  go  forth  with  harps,  singing  and  praising  the  beauty 
of  holiness,  and  that  all  would  be  well.  The  reader 
has  only  to  turn  to  the  Old  Testament  to  read  the 
account  of  the  marvelous  victory  which  followed, 
when  the  people  sang,  rejoiced,  and  praised  God,  and 
without  using  a  weapon  saw  the  Almighty  mow  their 
enemies  down  before  their  eyes. 

May  we  take  the  lesson  to  heart,  and  at  once  seek 
and  obtain  the  experience  which  places  the  harp  in 
the  hand,  the  song  in  the  heart,  the  light  in  the  face, 
the  praise  on  the  lips,  and  the  leap  to  the  feet,  and 
thereafter  see  as  stupendous  victories  for  God  and 
His  Truth  as  were  ever  beheld  in  the  centuries  and 
ages  that  are  gone! 


XXVIII. 
"LOOKING  UNTO  JESUS." 

SALVATION  is  brought  to  the  soul  by  looking 
to  the  crucified  Son  of  God.  It  was  taught  in 
symbol  before  the  tragedy  of  Calvary  took  place.  The 
Jews,  when  bitten  by  fiery  serpents,  were  told  to  look 
to  a  Brazen  Serpent  uplifted  on  a  pole.  If,  instead, 
they  looked  at  the  reptile  which  stung  them,  or  at 
the  bitten  place,  or  at  Moses,  or  at  the  Tabernacle, 
they  all  died.  But  whosoever  looked  upon  the  up- 
lifted Brazen  Serpent  lived.  It  mattered  not  how  far 
the  man  was  gone,  or  how  many  reptiles  had  poisoned 
him ;  it  mattered  not  if  friends  had  to  hold  up  his  head 
and  with  merciful  finger  lift  up  the  drooping  eyelid; 
the  instant  the  eye  fell  upon  the  Serpent  on  the  Pole 
the  man  felt  a  great  rush  of  life  in  him,  leaped  to  his 
feet,  and  became  sound  and  whole. 

Christ  Himself  declared  that  He  was  the  fulfill- 
ment of  this  remarkable  type ;  that  He  would  be  lifted 
up  on  the  cross,  that  "whosoever  believeth  on  Him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life."  Salvation 
for  a  look  to  Jesus. 

Of  course,  the  world  wonders  and  stumbles  over 

this  condition  of  pardon,  men  failing  to  see  the  justice 

263 


264  HEART  TALKS. 

involved,  the  love  that  inspired,  and  the  profound 
wisdom  which  permeated  the  whole  infinite  act  and 
sacrifice.  They  especially  stagger  over  the  simple 
requirement  of  a  look  to  be  saved.  The  spiritual 
thinker  sees  far  deeper,  and  knows  that  the  looking  to 
means  also  a  looking  from.  He  who  looks  to  Jesus 
is  doing  a  marvelous  thing  in  the  spiritual  life.  Just 
as  the  eye  was  turned  from  crawling  reptiles  and  fes- 
tering wounds,  from  self  and  surrounding  friends, 
from  the  great  leader  Moses,  and  the  beautiful  Taber- 
nacle, and  was  fastened  on  a  serpent  of  brass  hanging 
on  a  pole,  and  all  this  done  at  the  command  of  God, 
so  the  sinner  looks  away  from  the  devil  and  his  own 
sin-poisoned  soul,  from  all  hope  of  self  and  human 
strength,  looks  beyond  the  preachers,  gazes  higher 
than  the  Church,  and,  fastening  his  eyes  upon  the 
Crucified  One,  cries, 

"  In  my  hand  no  price  I  bring, 
Simply  to  thy  cross  I  cling," 

and  is  instantly  filled  with  salvation,  sweet,  restful, 
and  blessed,  and  knows  he  has  eternal  life.  It  was  a 
look  from  earth  to  heaven,  from  men  to  God,  from 
sin  to  Christ,  and  God  rewarded  it  with  an  instan- 
taneous pardon  and  glorious  rush  of  spiritual  life 
into  the  soul. 

But  the  necessity  of  looking  unto  Jesus  is  not 


LOOKING   UNTO  JESUS.  265 

ended  by  regeneration.  Paul  was  not  addressing  sin- 
ners in  pursuit  of  forgiveness,  but  Christians  in  a  race 
for  heaven.  Even  then,  in  such  a  blessed  life,  he  says, 
there  must  be  a  steady  looking  unto  Jesus. 

Indeed,  the  expression  is  used  after  every  weight, 
and  "the  sin  which  doth  so  easily  beset"  has  been 
laid  aside.  Here  is  a  spiritual  state  which  plainly  in- 
dicates that  the  second  great  look  has  been  cast  upon 
Him  who  has  been  made  unto  us,  not  only  righteous- 
ness or  pardon,  but  sanctification.  There  is  a  look  to 
Christ  on  Mount  Calvary,  and  there  is  a  second  wait- 
ing and  look  to  Him  on  Mount  Zion.  The  cross 
brings  one  experience,  the  Upper  Room  another. 
One  is  life,  the  other  power.  One  is  a  birth,  the  other 
a  baptism.  One  brings  peace,  the  other  purity.  Both 
come  from  looking  to  Jesus.  They  can  come  in  no 
other  way ;  the  Bible  and  life  prove  it. 

And  yet  after  this,  when  the  "weights"  are  laid 
aside,  and  "the  sin  which  doth  so  easily  beset"  is  gone, 
and  we  are  running  toward  the  goal  of  glory,  the  look 
to  Jesus  must  be  kept  up.  Here  is  where  the  trouble 
begins  with  many.  Here  is  the  cause  of  weakness, 
hesitation,  and  failure  in  the  Christian  life — the  eyes 
have  been  more  or  less  turned  from  Jesus.  For  sev- 
eral reasons  we  are  to  cast  the  steady,  continued  look 
upon  Christ. 

One  is  for  constant  cleansing. 


266  HEART  TALK'S. 

We  do  not  mean  that  inbred  sin  is  left  in  the  heart, 
or  that  sin  is  being  committed  in  the  life ;  but  we  refer 
to  a  blissful  experience  in  which  the  soul  is  continu- 
ally thrilled  with  the  consciousness  of  being  kept 
clean. 

A  man  who  does  not  know  this  secret  of  the  Lord 
said  once  to  the  writer,  "If  the  heart  has  to  be  cleansed 
all  the  while,  then  it  must  be  defiled  all  the  while." 
My  reply  to  him  was,  "Yes,  just  about  as  unclean  as 
a  clean  rock  on  clean  white  sand,  with  the  clear  water 
of  a  brook  flowing  over  it  all  the  time."  He  saw  the 
picture  and  the  idea,  and  was  silent. 

By  a  steady  look  to  Jesus  we  can  keep  under  the 
Blood,  and  feel  every  second  its  cleansing  power  as  it 
flows  over  the  soul.  We  fail  to  see  the  necessity  of  sin, 
while  rejoicing  at  the  same  time  in  the  delightful  re- 
alization of  perpetual  whiteness  and  purity. 

Again  we  must  look  to  Jesus  for  perfect  conform- 
ity to  Him  in  all  things. 

We  may  have  pardoned  and  purified  hearts,  and 
yet  the  outward  life  is  left  with  all  its  manifold  features 
of  speech  and  act,  looks,  tones,  gestures,  bearing, 
manners,  and  scores  of  other  things  that  are  not  nec- 
essarily sinful,  but  need  to  be  corrected  and  changed. 
Sanctification  means  great  light,  but  not  all  light,  as 
some  would  make  it.  It  means  perfect  love ;  but  not 


LOOKING   UNTO  JESUS.  267 

a  perfect  head  by  any  manner  of  means.  It  means 
that  the  sin  principle  is  out  of  the  soul;  but  does  not 
mean  that  we  can  not  grow  in  grace  within,  or  be  im- 
proved in  our  ways  and  manners  without. 

,The  thing  to  do  is  to  look  to  Jesus,  with  the  ques- 
tion, What  would  He  say,  and  What  would  He  do 
under  the  circumstances  which  surround  us?  Nor 
should  we  be  discouraged  in  not  obtaining  all  the 
light  at  once.  We  are  to  keep  looking,  and  blessed 
will  be  the  result  to  ourselves,  and  marked  will  be  the 
improvement  in  the  eyes  of  those  who  are  proper 
judges  of  spiritual  things. 

A  mechanic  or  contractor  bending  over  the  plans 
of  the  building  which  is  being  erected,  should  be  both 
a  rebuke  and  inspiration  to  us. 

A  musician  with  his  eyes  on  the  notes  of  a  piece 
of  music,  making  the  fingers  to  fall  just  when  and 
just  how  the  printed  sheet  before  him  directs,  and 
going  over  and  over  it  until  the  rendering  agrees  with 
the  original;  such  a  sight  is  a  sermon  in  itself,  and 
is  enough  to  make  every  careless  Christian  ashamed 
of  himself,  and  arouse  him  to  greater  faithfulness  and 
Christlikeness. 

Christ  is  our  plan,  our  example  and  model;  and 
so  the  eyes  of  the  soul  should  be  fixed  steadfastly 
upon  Him,  that  the  life  might  be  made  to  agree  in  all 


268  HEART  TALKS. 

things  possible  with  Him.  Men  took  knowledge  of 
the  disciples,  that  they  had  been  with  Jesus.  So  they 
can  and  will  note  us,  if  we  are  Christlike. 

Christ  has  brought  a  marvelous  soul  harmony  into 
the  world.  Souls  are  being  thrilled,  melted,  and 
drawn  to  God  by  it.  We  are  to  study  the  notes  that 
fell  from  His  lips  and  life  in  Bethlehem,  Bethany,  and 
Jerusalem,  in  Judea  and  Galilee,  in  Gethsemane  and 
Calvary,  and  reproduce  the  melody.  When  we,  with 
the  Gospel  before  us,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  within  us, 
strike  the  right  chords  and  utter  the  right  note,  people 
around  us  both  feel  and  know  it.  When  we  strike  a 
false  or  discordant  note,  they  also  know  it. 

All  of  us  can  recall  times  when  we  suffered  excru- 
ciating pain  of  a  mental  character  in  having  to  listen 
to  incorrect  playing,  and  what  is  called  flat  or  falsetto 
singing.  The  ear,  nerve,  mind,  and  heart  all  partook 
together  of  the  misery.  Even  more  painful  is  the 
fact  of  un-Christlikeness  in  the  words,  manner,  spirit, 
and  deeds  of  a  Christian.  The  appearance  of  spiritual 
vanity  and  pride,  of  irritability  and  uncharitableness, 
of  faultfinding  and  tattling,  of  arrogance,  selfishness, 
and  bitterness,  even  if  only  for  a  moment,  sends  a 
pang  through  the  soul.  It  was  so  unlike  the  other 
part  of  the  life  song,  it  was  so  different  from,  the  notes 
given  by  Christ  in  the  Four  Gospels,  it  had  such  a 
falsetto  ring,  that  all  looked  up  pained,  and  felt,  even 


LOOKING   UNTO  JESUS.  269 

if  they  said  nothing,  that  the  music  of  Bethany  and 
Galilee  had  not  been  followed. 

Our  only  hope  is  to  keep  the  eyes  fixed  on  Jesus. 
This  is  our  duty  and  our  privilege.  If  we  are  faithful 
here,  we  will  not  only  realize  blessedness  within,  but 
discover  we  have  power  without.  Men  will  want  us 
to  bring  them  to  Him  who  created  such  melody  of 
heart  and  harmony  in  life  within  us.  And  we  will 
bring  them. 

Still  again,  we  must  look  to  Jesus  for  guidance. 

With  all  the  power  of  a  splendid  intellect,  and  the 
knowledge  which  experience  brings,  yet  the  child  of 
God  is  still  under  the  necessity  of  being  Divinely  led 
and  directed  in  the  daily  steps  of  life.  This  need 
springs  from  the  fact  of  our  ignorance  concerning 
God's  plans,  our  inability  to  understand  people,  and 
our  lack  of  power  to  read  the  future,  and  know  what 
is  best  for  us  to  do. 

The  Lord  has  promised  to  lead  the  soul  whicfi 
will  faithfully,  patiently,  and  obediently  look  to  and 
follow  Him.  He  will  guide,  He  says,  with  His  Word, 
His  Spirit,  and  His  eye.  All  these  three  are  men- 
tioned in  the  Scripture,  and  show  different  degrees  of 
nearness  upon  the  part  of  the  soul  to  God.  There  is 
an  undoubted  advancement  from  the  "Word"  to  the 
"eye."  Just  as  well-trained  servants  get  so  that  they 
do  not  need  to  be  spoken  to  at  the  table,  but  a  glance 


270  HEART  TALKS. 

will  show  them  what  is  wanted ;  so  the  Christian  first 
held  in  and  held  back,  and  only  able  to  go  by  explicit 
statements,  conies  at  last  to  understand  the  move- 
ments of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  the  soul,  and  finally 
walks  certainly  and  triumphantly  amid  a  whirl  of 
duties,  conflicts,  and  perils,  guided  by  the  looks  of 
Christ. 

He  has  promised  to  guide  us  in  all  things,  and  lead 
us  into  all  truth.  The  leading  will  not  be  violent,  but 
very  gentle;  it  will  be  a  still,  small  voice  rather  than 
a  thunder-clap;  it  will  be  recognized  as  a  drawing 
rather  than  a  driving;  but  it  will  be  unmistakable  to 
the  faithful,  devoted  man  of  God,  and  will  always 
bring  one  into  realms  of  spiritual  rest  and  assur- 
ance. 

A  good  thing  to  do,  when  duties  seem  to  conflict, 
the  road  forks,  and  it  is  difficult  to  tell  which  of  two 
ways  to  take,  is  to  wait  on  the  Savior  in  prayer,  and 
ask  Him  to  shine  on  the  path  He  would  have  us  tread, 
making  it  sweetly  attractive  to  the  soul,  and  at  the 
same  time  put  a  kind  of  fog  upon  the  other  and  cause 
it  to  have  a  forbidding  appearance.  Christ  will  do  it. 
We  are  convinced  that  He  will  lead  us  in  every  step 
of  life ;  in  business,  pleasure,  marriage,  Church  rela- 
tions, and  all,  if  we  fix  our  eyes  upon  Him,  and  pa- 
tiently wait  for  light  and  direction. 

Anna  Shipton  tells  us  in  one  of  her  books  how 


LOOKING    UNTO  JESUS.  2"Jl 

Christ  allowed  her  to  turn  aside  from  her  regular 
work  to  rest  a  few  days  in  an  Italian  town,  and  write 
on  one  of  her  forthcoming  volumes.  She  became  so 
absorbed  that  she  went  beyond  the  number  of  days 
she  first  asked  for,  and  suddenly  discovered  that  the 
flying  pen  had  lost  its  power,  and  that  her  brain  had 
ceased  to  create.  She  was  wondering  about  it  one 
night  while  wakeful  in  bed,  when  a  large  bird,  blown 
by  the  storm  from  the  mountains,  gave  a  scream  near 
her  window-shutters,  which  sounded  like  the  word 
"Direct."  Yes,  said  the  convicted  woman,  that  is 
just  what  I  want,  and  have  failed  to  ask  for — direc- 
tion from  Christ,  and  on  her  knees  in  another  minute 
came  the  impression  she  must  leave  the  town.  The 
next  day,  while  speeding  on  the  train,  with  a  happy 
feeling  of  being  in  the  line  of  duty,  she  led  a  man  to 
God  on  the  cars,  which  work  of  grace  led  to  a  still 
greater  gospel  work  in  another  town. 

Once  more  we  must  look  to  Jesus  for  comfort. 

We  continually  need  it  in  such  a  world  as  this. 
The  whole  race  in  its  sinfulness  and  heart-brokenness 
wants  consolation  for  that  matter.  But  deeper  still  is 
the  need  of  the  Christian,  who,  hated  by  hell,  cast  off 
by  the  world,  and  misunderstood  by  friends,  is  cer- 
tainly bereaved,  indeed,  if  he  has  not  heaven  to  turn 
to  for  consolation. 

But  this  comfort  is  to  be  received  and  enjoyed, 


272  HEAR1    TALKS. 

and  so  deep  and  satisfying  is  it  that  one  possessing 
such  a  blessing  can  rejoice  in  the  sorest  tribulations 
of  earth  and  time. 

A  distinguishing  title  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the 
Comforter.  Christ  said  He  would  send  Him  into  the 
world,  knowing  the  paramount  need  for  Him.  The 
Savior  also  said,  "I  will  not  leave  you  comfortless;  I 
will  come  to  you." 

Different  from  anointing  for  special  service,  dis- 
similar to  sudden  influxes  of  energy  and  power  to  pro- 
claim the  Word  or  make  some  notable  stand  for  duty, 
is  the  sweet  comfort  with  which  Christ  can  fill  the 
soul.  Bringing  as  it  does  a  perfect  melting  of  the 
soul,  tenderness  of  spirit,  gladness  in  loneliness,  con- 
tentedness  to  live,  suffer,  or  die,  to  be  or  do  anything 
for  Jesus — it  is  an  experience  so  unearthly,  so  holy, 
so  heavenly,  as  to  be  beyond  the  power  of  verbal  de- 
scription. Jesus  in  some  way  takes  the  tired,  grieved, 
hurt,  lonely  soul  in  His  arms  and  comforts  it. 

We  once  heard  a  prominent  preacher  say,  with  the 
tears  running  down  his  face,  that  since  his  mother  had 
died  he  had  found  a  place  where  he  could  go  and  cry 
out  all  his  troubles  and  get  perfect  comfort,  and  that 
place  was  the  lap  of  Jesus. 

Once  at  a  camp-meeting  I  saw  a  business  man, 
who  had  been  through  great  griefs  and  trials,  sud- 
denly obtain  the  comfort  which  Christ  loves  to  bestow, 


LOOKING    UNTO  JESUS.  273 

while  sitting  disconsolately  behind  a  large  wooden 
column  in  the  Tabernacle.  The  transformation  was 
amazing !  Who,  when  in  sadness  and  loneliness,  does 
not  love  a  dear  one  to  hunt  them  up,  and  with  hand 
and  voice  cheer  and  heal  the  aching  heart?  So  Jesus 
found  His  grieving  servant  behind  the  pillar,  and  put- 
ting His  arms  around  him,  comforted  him.  O,  how 
the  man  wept!  The  fountains  of  the  deep  were 
broken  up,  his  form  shook  under  the  emotion  which 
rilled  him,  while  his  face  shone  with  the  light  and 
peace  and  holy  calm  of  heaven. 

I  have  seen  a  father  rough  to  his  child,  and  beheld 
the  weeping  little  fellow  go  to  his  mother,  who,  with 
soothing  words,  tender  kiss,  and  embrace,  and  some 
promise  of  the  morrow,  would  cause  the  child  to  com- 
pletely forget  his  sorrow.  The  little,  tear-stained  face 
would  be  turned  up  gleefully  to  hers,  the  tongue  talk 
happily  about  other  things,  and  the  only  sign  left  of 
the  other  experience  would  be  an  occasional  catch  in 
his  breath,  the  last  sighs  of  the  almost  spent  breast 
storm.  And  so  have  I  seen  God's  child  struck  by  the 
world  and  deeply  hurt.  Then  I  have  beheld  him  go 
to  Jesus  and  look  up  to  Him,  and  at  once  get  such 
calm  of  mind,  comfort  of  heart,  and  forgetfulness  of 
what  had  been  said  and  done  to  him,  that  the  face 
glowed  like  a  seraph,  and  any  one  could  see  that  he 

had  been  caught  away  from  the  strife  of  tongues,  the 
18 


274  HEART  TALKS. 

pride  and  wrath  of  man,  and  was  hidden  in  the  secret 
place  of  the  Most  High. 

We  all  know  what  it  is  to  seek  human  comfort  and 
fail  to  find  it  when  the  heart  is  fairly  breaking  for 
sympathy.  Some  of  us  know  what  it  is  to  lie  awake 
at  night  with  a  great  sorrow,  or  walk  through  the 
house  while  all  are  quietly  sleeping,  and  have  to 
wrestle  alone  with  the  trouble.  The  peaceful  sleeping 
of  the  household  intensifies  the  loneliness,  and  adds 
to  the  pang.  You  walk  out  on  the  street,  and  the 
whole  town  is  asleep.  Everybody  is  at  rest  but  your- 
self. By  and  by  you  come  back  and  sit  on  the  steps 
of  your  own  house,  heartsick  and  solitary  under  the 
stars.  How  far  away  they  seem !  Suddenly  it  occurs 
to  you  to  look  to  Jesus,  and  instantly  you  are  filled 
with  a  holy  peace  and  comfort,  which  would  make 
words  bend  and  break  to  describe.  The  tortured 
heart  is  at  rest,  the  fever  has  been  banished  from  the 
spirit,  Jesus  has  come  to  comfort  you !  He  had  been 
waiting  all  along  for  His  follower  to  look  up  to  Him. 
He  had  not  been  asleep  like  the  household  and  town, 
for  His  eyelids  never  slumber.  As  I  have  heard  my 
mother,  now  in  heaven,  sing  when  I  was  a  child, 

"  Though  the  night  be  dark  and  dreary, 

Darkness  can  not  hide  from  Thee; 
Thou  art  He,  who  never  weary, 
Watcheth  where  Thy  people  be." 


LOOKING   UNTO  JESUS.  275 

Finally,  we  look  to  Jesus  for  reward. 

Beyond  the  approval  of  conscience,  the  smile  of 
God,  and  the  blessedness  of  godly  living,  we  are  told 
by  the  Bible  not  to  look  for  our  recompense  as  Chris- 
tians in  this  life  from  men. 

The  Scripture  informs  us  that  the  world  will  hate 
us ;  that  if  we  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus  we  shall  suffer 
persecution;  that  men  will  say  all  manner  of  evil 
against  us;  that  our  good  will  be  evil  spoken  of;  and 
we  will  be  as  strangers  and  pilgrims  in  the  earth. 

More  than  this,  we  learn  that  the  closer  we  live  to 
God,  the  less  will  we  be  understood ;  while  enmity  will 
be  encountered,  not  only  from  the  world,  but  in  the 
Church.  We  will  be  cast  out  of  the  synagogue,  and, 
sadder  still,  our  foes  will  be  they  of  our  own  house- 
hold. The  circles  to  which  we  would  naturally  go 
for  appreciative  sympathy  and  reward  are  seen,  under 
these  words,  to  be  steadily  lessening  and  narrowing 
all  the  time. 

To  be  in  a  spiritual  experience  above  others,  is  to 
be  a  mystery  to  them;  and  not  to  be  comprehended 
in  matters  of  grace  and  religion,  has  been  equivalent 
to  the  dungeon,  stake,  and  headsman's  axe  in  the 
past,  and  means  anything  but  an  easy  time  in  the 
present. 

The  price  which  Madam  Guyon  had  to  pay  for 


276  HEART  TALKS. 

holiness  of  heart  was  her  own  beautiful  head  laid  on 
the  block  of  the  executioner.  The  cost  to  John  Wes- 
ley was  mobs,  slander,  and  constant  persecution. 
While  to-day  a  man  who  would  enter  the  Holy  of 
Holies  in  the  Christian  life,  must  lay  down  his  repu- 
tation at  the  door,  and  consent  to  be  ridiculed  by  the 
world,  discounted  and  struck  at  by  the  Church,  mis- 
understood by  his  own  household,  and  walk  a  lonely; 
path  to  heaven. 

In  view  of  these  things,  the  man  who  would  look 
for  reward  for  his  faith  and  labor  from  sinners,  and 
even  Christians,  is  worse  than  a  fool,  and  doomed  to 
bitter  disappointment. 

Tell  them  your  hardships  and  trials  for  the  Trutti, 
and  some  few  will  listen  the  first  time,  but  grow  rest- 
less under  a  second  recital,  and  yawn  and  count  you 
a  bore  at  the  third. 

But  what  we  can  not  find  in  men,  we  can  obtain 
in  Christ.  He  never  turns  a  deaf  ear  to  our  words, 
or  sends  us  away  empty.  He  rewards  both  here  and 
hereafter.  He  gives  the  overflowing  cup,  the  anointed 
head,  and  a  table  spread  in  the  presence  of  our  enemies 
even  in  this  world,  as  a  kind  of  hint  and  type  of  the 
great  unseen  eternal  reward.  Our  soul  delighting  itself 
as  with  marrow  and  fatness,  our  spirit  kept  like  a  wat- 
ered garden,  songs  in  the  night,  praises  in  the  dun- 
geon, companionship  in  the  wilderness,  opening 


LOOKING   UNTO  JESUS.  277 

heavens  on  Patmos,  and  Christ  looking  us  up  when 
we  are  cast  out  from  the  councils  and  company  of  the 
synagogue,  is  part  of  Christ's  blessed  recompense  in 
this  world. 

As  for  the  reward  at  the  last  day,  what  pen  can 
describe,  or  brush  depict,  or  tongue  declare  the  things 
which  God  has  prepared  for  them  who  love  Him? 
It  is  enough  to  stagger  the  imagination,  overwhelm 
the  mind,  and  yet  electrify  the  soul,  and  make  men 
leap  for  joy,  to  read  expressions  that  are  dropped  here 
and  there  in  the  Bible,  about  thrones,  crowns,  king- 
doms, glorious  bodies,  exceeding  and  eternal  weights 
of  glory;  and  yet  realize  that  these  wonderful  terms 
are  but  hints  in  themselves  of  the  reward  which  Christ 
has  promised  to  all  who  will  be  faithful  to  Him  unto 
the  end. 

It  is  natural  to  look  to  men,  and  especially  to 
friends  and  kindred,  for  recompense  and  reward  in  the 
spiritual  life;  but  it  is  a  mistake  to  do  so  for  all  that, 
and  sooner  or  later  we  find  it  out.  People  are  too 
selfish,  or  busy,  or  burdened  with  their  own  toils  and 
sorrows,  to  give  the  time  to  the  consideration  and 
proper  treatment  of  cases  which  appeal  to  them  for 
recognition  and  help.  It  is  a  bitter  piece  of  knowl- 
edge to  obtain,  but  a  profitable  experience  when  it 
comes,  and  happy  is  the  man  who  does  not  sour  in 
learning  it 


278  HEART  TALKS. 

We  had  best  look  to  Jesus.  We  will  not  be  dis- 
appointed there.  We  will  get  all  that  the  heart  craves 
and  the  life  deserves  from  His  faithful,  loving,  pitiful 
hand. 

An  old  preacher  was  struck  down  suddenly  with 
the  pangs  of  approaching  death.  For  the  first  few 
moments  he  was  bewildered  with  the  confusion  and 
excitement  of  his  family  in  the  room,  the  fainting  sen- 
sations of  the  body,  and  the  dimness  which  came  upon 
his  sight.  With  a  trembling,  piteous  voice,  he  ex- 
claimed, "Where  is  Jesus,  my  old,  true,  life-long 
friend?"  Then  with  a  sudden  burst  of  sunshine  in 
his  face  he  said,  with  a  deep,  contented  sigh,  "Ah! 
here  He  is — and  now  it  is  all  right." 

If  the  writer,  before  'drawing  his  last  breath  and 
sinking  into  the  grave,  was  allowed  to  write  or  speak 
but  three  words  to  the  world  or  Church,  to  old  or 
young,  to  sinner  or  saint,  to  the  justified  or  sanctified, 
those  three  words  should  be,  "lyook  to  Jesus." 


Pentecostal  Light, 

By  REV.  A.  M.  HILLS. 


101  Large  Pages.    Price  in  Cloth,  50  Cents. 
In  Paper  Cover,  10  Cents. 


THIS  BOOK  TREATS  OF : 


1  Praying  for  the  Spirit.    Filled  with  the  Spirit. 
Grieve  not  the  Spirit." 


IT  HAS  HAD  A  CIRCULATION  OF  OVER  THREE 
THOUSAND  IN  TWELVE  MONTHS, 

Rev.  S.  T.  Morris,  of  Calumet,  Mich.,  writes: 
"Pentecostal  Light  is  a  work  of  power,  and 

should    be    in   the    hands    of  every  believer   in 

America.     It   is   rightly    named,  and  you   have 

my  special  thanks  for  writing  it." 

"The  last  chapter  alone  is  worth  its  price." 
"Effective    medicine   for  worldliness    among 

professors. 


Address  M.  W.  KNAPP,  Revivalist  Office, 

CINCINNATI,  OHIO. 


Tears  and 
Triumphs 


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few  minutes.  Its  soul-stirring  songs  take  with  all  denominations." 

A  Teacher  and  Composer  orders  200  and  writes:  "  I  do  not  hesitate  to 
pronounce  it  one  of  the  best  books  for  the  purpose  intended  now  on  the 
market;  a  marvel  of  completeness." 

Evangelist  I>.  B.  Gernigan.  —  "  We  sold  the  last  one  of  the  song  books, 
150,  before  the  meeting  closed.  It  is  a  book  for  the  people.  They  shout 
and  cry  as  they  sing.  It  is  the  best  book  I  ever  saw." 

Mrs.  O.  C.  McGarvey,  Music  Teacher.  —  "  It  is  better  adapted  to  revival 
meetings  than  any  book  we  have  ever  seen.  I  consider  it  a  collection  of 
the  most  spiritual  songs  I  have  ever  seen." 

G.  E.  Kersey,  Teacher  and  Musical  Composer.  —  "It  is  the  best  new 


song  book  on  the  market  for  camp-meeting,  revival,  church  and  home." 
TV.  M.  Patty.  —  "Indeed,  it  is  a  triumph  in  the  interest  of  holy  song." 

"^•^  It  is  adapted  to  Evangelistic  Work,  Camp-  Meetings, 
Prayer  and  Praise  Meetings,  Sunday-schools  and  General 
Church  Worship. 

Such  men  as  Hoffman,  Bryant,  Sweney,  Palmer,  Ogden,  Kirk- 
patrlck,  KieCfer,  Mclntosh,  Tillman,  Lincoln,  Street,  Black,  T.  1L. 
Perkins,  \f.  p.  Perkins,  Rev.  J.  E.  Raukin,  Gilmour  and  many 
others  have  assisted  in  making  it. 

£3-  Try  the  following:  Nos.  5,  6,  7,  32,  35,  ft,  58,  60,  62,  63,  70,  76,  85,  91,  94, 
116,  118,  121,  125,  132,  133,  147,  149^  154,  155,  163,  168,  179,  180,  187,  193,  195,  196, 
199.  If  not  pleased,  return  it  and  get  your  money  back. 

PRICES:  Board,  25c.  prepaid;  $2.80  per  doz.  prepaid:  $20  per  100 
not  prepaid.  Muslin,  20c.  prepaid;  $2.25  per  doz.  prepaid:  $16  per  100 

not  prepaid.    Printed  in  round  and  shaped  notes.    State  which  you  v»  ish, 

ORDER  OF  THIS  OFFICE. 


FOOD  FOR  LAMBS; 


BY  A.  M.  HILLS, 

Author  of  "  Holiness  and  Power  "  and  "  Pentecostal  Light.' 


Abridged  Edition, 

Price,  10  Cents  j     16  for  $1.00. 

STABLE  OP  CONTENTS— Chapter  I.,  Why  God  Calls  Children  Ear- 
ly; II.,  Same— Continued ;  III.,  Same — Continued;  IV.,  Two  Other 
Reasons  "Why  God  Calls  Little  Children  to  Remember  Him  and 
Seek  Him;  V.,  First  Condition  of  Salvation — Repentance;  VI.,  The 
Second  Condition  of  Salvation— Faith :  VII.,  The  Third  Condition 
of  Salvation— Surrender  of  Self  to  God's  Service:  VHL,  Coming  to 
Christ. 

Complete  Edition. 

Price,  Cloth,  SO  Cents;    4  Copies,  $2.40. 

TABLE  OF  CONTENTS— Chapter  I.,  Why  God  Calls  Children  Ear- 
ly; II.,  Same— Continued ;  III.,  Same— Continued ;  IV.,  Two  Other 
Reasons  Why  God  Calls  Little  Children  to  Remember  Him  and 
Seek  Him;  V. ,  First  Condition  of  Salvation— Repentance ;  VL.The 
Second  Condition  of  Salvation— Faith ;  VII.,  The  Third  Condition 
of  Salvation— Surrender  of  Self  to  God's  Service ;  VIH.,  Coming  to 
Christ;  IX.,  Ten  Evidences  of  Conversion:  X.,Frayer;  XI ,  The 
Bible;  XII.,  Obedience;  XHL,  A  Life  of  Love;  XIV.,  A  Life  of 
Service;  XV.,  Joining  the  Church;  XVI..  Religion  Made  Easy  by 
the  Holy  Ghost. 

This  is  an  invaluable  and  timely  Text-Book  for  training  Child- 
ren in  the  Home,  Sunday-School  and  Day  School. 

No  Parent  or  Teacher  can  Afford  to  be  Without  it. 

Free  from  cant  and  adapted  to  believers  of  every  name.  It  will 
help  fasten  truth  in  the  child-mind  as  no  other  book  we  know. 

The  80-cent  Book  and  The  Weekly  Bevivalist, 
One  Year,  S/.5O. 


Burning  Books 

By  Seth  C.  Rees, 

The  Quaker  Author  and.  Evangelist. 
I.   FIRE  FROM  HEAVEN. 

Over  300  pages.  Price,  $1.00.  If  you  appre- 
ciate celestial  light  and  fire,  you  will  be  de- 
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Four  copies,  post- 
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CONTENTS  :  C  h  a  p- 
ter  I.,  Fire  from  Heav- 
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Christ;  III.,  God's 
Choice  of  Instru- 
ments ;  IV.,  Stephen's 
Fulness  ;V.,  The  True 
Saint;  VI.,  Rooted  and 
Grounded;  VII., 
Abounding  Grace; 
VIII.,  The  Secret  of 
the  Lord;  IX.,  Ex- 
ploits; X.,  A  Larger 

Outlook;  XL,  Abundant  Resources;  XII. ,  More 
Than  Conquerors;  XIIL,  This  is  That;  XIV., 
The  Holy  Peace;  XV.,  Call  of  Rebecca;  XVL, 
Blessings  in  Disguise. 

II.  PENTECOSTAL  CHURCH. 
Like  the  Bible  and  the  Life  of  Jesus,  it  com- 
bines the  characteristics  of  the  Lamb  and  the 
Lion,  the  Lily  and  the  Lightning. 

CONTENTS:  Chapter  I.,  Opening  Words;  II., 
The  Ideal  Pentecostal  Church  is  Composed  of 
Regenerated  Souls;  III.,  A  Clean  Church;  IV., 
A  Powerful  Church;  V.,  A  Powerful  Church — 
Continued;  VI.,  A  Witnessing  Church;  VII., 
Without  Distinction  as  to  Sex;  VIII. ,  A  Liberal 
Church;  IX.,  A  Demonstrative  Church;  X.,  An 
Attractive  Church — Draws  the  People  Together; 
XI.,  Puts  People  Under  Conviction;  XII.,  Will 
Have  Healthy  Converts;  XIIL,  A  Joyful  Church; 
XIV.,  A  Unit;  XV.,  The  Power  of  the  Lord  is 
Present  to  Heal  the  Sick;  XVI.,  A  Missionary 
Church;  XVII.,  Out  of  Bondage;  XVIII.,  En- 
tering into  Canaan;  XIX.,  The  Land  and  Its 
Resources;  XX.,  Samson;  XXL,  Power  Above 
the  Power  of  the  Enemy;  XXII.,  Compromise 
and  Its  Evil  Effects;  XXIII.,  Sermon;  XXIV., 
The  Author's  Experience. 

Price,  50  cents;  four  copies,  postpaid,  $1.50.  Special 
rates  by  the  quantity. 


OLD  CORN 

BY 

DAVID  B.   UPDEQRAFF. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  I,  Old  Corn ;  CHAPTER  II,  The  Blood  of  Christ; 
CHAPTER  III,  Cleansing  Through  the  Blood ;  CHAPTER  IV,  Con- 
secration; CHAPTER  V.The  Baptism  with  the  Holy  Ghost;  CHAP- 
TER VI,  Is  Pentecost  Repeated?  CHAPTER  VII,  Power  for  Service ; 
CHAPTER  VIII,  Mistakes  of  Simon  Magus;  CHAPTER  IX,  "Our 
Old  Man;"  CHAFER  X,  Crucified  with  Christ;  CHAPTER  XI,  The 
World  Crucified;  CHAPTER  XII,  Steps  in  the  Experience  of  the 
Apostles;  CHAPTER  XIII,  Self-Purification;  CHAPTER  XIV,  Unto 
Perfection ;  CHAPTER  XV,  A  Good  Conscience ;  CHAPTER  XVI, 
Shall  He  Find  Faith?  CHAPTER  XVII,  Self-Preservation;  CHAP- 
TER XVIII,  Antagonisms  to  Holiness;  CHAPTER  XIX,  Spirituality 
vs.  Ritualism ;  CHAPTER  XX,  Last  Promise  of  Jesus ;  CHAPTER 
XXI,  Divine  Guidance ;  CHAPTER  XXII,  John  the  Baptist;  CHAP- 
'TER  XXIII,  An  Unexpected  Decree:  CHAPTER  XXIV,  Christ's 
Coming  Premillennial ;  CHAPTER  XXV,  The  Parousia;  CHAPTER 
XXVI,  Free  from  the  Law ;  CHAPTER  XXVII,  Serving  in  "  New- 
ness "  or  "  Oldness  "—Which  ?  CHAPTER  XXVIII,  Suffering  and 
Glorification ;  CHAPTER  XXIX,  Salvation  through  Sanctification  ; 
CHAPTER  XXX,  The  Parables;  CHAPTER  XXXI,  Sin  Not  a  Neces- 
sity; CHAPTER  XXXII,  Distinctions;  CHAPTER  XXXIII,  Philos- 
ophy of  Doubt ;  CHAPTER  XXXIV,  Negative  Ritualism ;  CHAPTER 
XXXV,  Trinity,  the  New  Birth^  etc.;  CHAPTER  XXXVI,  Personal 
Testimony. 


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